Specimen Reception
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to outline the guidelines for checking samples on arrival, handling patient specimens safely and processing specimens appropriately depending on the specimen type and test requested.
Introduction
Specimen reception receives all patient samples. The samples are checked for appropriateness and then sent to the specific discipline lab to be processed.
Scope
This procedure covers the essential patient identifiers and conditions of specimens required for them to be processed. This also refers to procedures for rejecting specimens and inputting information into LIMS
Definitions
Specimen – A sample taken from a patient for diagnostic purposes
LIMS – Laboratory Information Management System
Protocol
1. On receipt of a delivery of specimens to the lab, check that all specimens are intact with no leakage into the specimen bag, that each specimen contains an attached request form and that the specimen type reported on the request form is correct. If leakage is identified, consult “SOP_002 Handling Leaking and Damaged Specimens”. If the specimen has leaked or there is no request form or the specimen type is incorrect, the specimen should be rejected. To reject a specimen, consult “SOP_003 Rejecting Specimens”.
2. The specimen container of all non-rejected samples and the request form should be removed from the specimen bag.
3. The patient identifiers on the request form must be checked against the patient identifiers on the request form. Generally, unless stated otherwise, the patient identifiers must include at least three essential criteria and all information present must match. See table 1 below for patient identifiers accepted.
4. Check that an address for report has been included. Without this, the results of any assay cannot be released.
5. Check that the clinical symptoms provided are relevant and appropriate for the test requested
6. Check relevant SOPs for the specific tests requested to ensure that the sample have been transported to the laboratory in an appropriate timescale and that the type of sample received is the type of sample required. If not the sample should be rejected (See SOP_003 Rejecting Specimens).
7. Add appropriate comments on checking the criteria into the laboratory notes section of the request form including the additional consumables that will be required for processing the specimen
8. Input all details from the request form into the LIMS (See SOP_004 Inputting Data to LIMS). This will generate a unique laboratory accession number for this request. This number should be added to the request form and the initial specimen. A label for each additional sample container or consumable should be produced also and placed all together for collection from discipline specific biomedical scientists.

Specimen Reception Purpose The purpose of this document is to out...