Specimen tracking

A specimen record connects to an encounter. It carries the specimen type, collection date and accession number, along with a status that moves through ordered, collected, received, tested or rejected. The clinician can record collection details while the reviewer can see where that specimen sits in its recorded path. Linking the record to the encounter keeps the collection context alongside the episode’s notes and observations.

The accession number provides a reference staff can use when talking to an external laboratory. The team should check that the number belongs to the right specimen and encounter. A received or tested state is a recorded status in this app; if a laboratory owns test results, the team needs to reconcile them through its chosen connection and review process.

• Collection identity. Specimen type and accession number distinguish the material being followed.
• Collection timing. The collection date shows when the specimen was taken for the encounter.
• Progress state. Ordered, collected, received, tested and rejected make the current handling state visible to the care team.

Define the specimen types staff will use and how accession numbers are assigned. Decide who enters a collection date and who is allowed to change each progress state. If a laboratory supplies its own accession number, agree on the point at which that identifier is copied to the local record. The care team should choose the contact and handoff practice for a rejected specimen before using this record in active work.

Specify where actual test results are reviewed. A status change alone should not stand in for the clinical interpretation of a result. The reviewer should understand which external result or communication belongs to the encounter, and the clinician should know when a new collection is needed after rejection. Keep the episode link consistent through those decisions.

During an encounter, the clinician records an ordered specimen type. At collection, they enter the collection date and the accession reference. The specimen progresses to received when that state is confirmed. If the laboratory rejects it, the clinician marks the record rejected and the care team arranges the next step for the patient through an assigned task. The reviewer can inspect the specimen record and the episode context without mistaking the accession reference for a clinical interpretation.

• Specimen collection queue — See ordered, collected and received records with their encounter and accession details.
• Encounter review queue — Examine collection evidence alongside other episode records.

Follow medication and evidence and follow-up work.