Lab result de-identification is the removal of patient identifiers from the file. UK GDPR Art. 9 and the DPA 2018 govern health data. anonym.plus runs it on your device. The values stay readable, but no patient is named.
When this applies
A panel of results feeds an analytics test. The numbers can stay, yet the name, the dates, and the accession number have to come out first.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file (PDF, CSV, or scan) on your machine.
- Local OCR reads scanned pages, so printed text is caught.
- The tool flags names, dates, IDs, and contact lines.
- Review each flag and keep the analyte values.
- Swap each ID for a token, or delete it.
- Save the clean file. The source stays on your disk.
What you need to provide
- The file (PDF, CSV, DOCX, or image scan).
- An operator: Replace (swap), Redact (remove), or Mask (partial).
- Optional: a name map for repeat panels.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | Amara Diallo → [PATIENT_1] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | Drawn 30/03/2026 → [DATE] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | MRN 198332 → [MRN] |
| Order | ID | Accession L-77640 → [ACCESSION] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | a.diallo@nhs.net → [EMAIL] |
| NHS Number | NHS_NUMBER | NHS 943 476 5919 → [NHS_NUMBER] |
Compliance achieved
- Anonymisation under UK GDPR Art. 9 & DPA 2018.
- Once truly anonymous, the file leaves UK GDPR scope under Recital 26.
- Assessed against the ICO motivated-intruder test.
- Working files are kept safe with AES-256-GCM.
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Limitations & cautions
The tool clears the listed identifier types. A single unusual value plus a small area could still hint at a person. You weigh that risk before any release.
Frequently asked questions
Are reference ranges and values kept?
Yes. Those are clinical numbers, not patient IDs. They stay in place so the panel reads the way the lab issued it.
Does this work on a delimited export?
Yes. The app reads CSV columns too. It flags the ID fields per row so a whole table can be cleaned in one pass.
What about the ordering clinician's details?
Names, phones, and addresses in the footer are flagged like any field. You choose whether to keep or hide the clinician line.