Sample & Barcode Tracking

Every lab test tracks its specimen through a full lifecycle: collection → receipt → accession → results. This page explains each stage and how barcodes and accession (sample) numbers work.

At a glance

fa-flask | Collected | We take a tiny sample to test.
fa-truck | Received at the lab | The sample arrives safely at the lab.
fa-barcode | General accession | The lab gives it a sticker and a number.
fa-barcode | Department accession | The right department logs it too.
fa-file-text-o | Report pending | The lab gets ready to write the report.
fa-times | Rejected if not good | If the sample is not okay, it is sent back.

The sample lifecycle

Each test (package) stores a sample record that captures who did what, and when, at each stage:

Stage	Statuses
Collection	COLLECTED, NOT_COLLECTED, PARTIALLY_COLLECTED
Receipt	RECEIVED, NOT_RECEIVED
General accession	ACCEPTED, REJECTED
Department accession	ACCEPTED, REJECTED

A test only becomes ready for result entry (REPORT_PENDING) when the sample has cleared the required stages.

Step 1: Collect the sample

Mark the specimen collected from the work-list (or via the rider during a home pickup). The system records collectedAt, collectedBy and any collection notes. A rejected collection records collectionRejectedAt.

Step 2: Receive the sample at the lab

When the specimen arrives at the lab it is received. MetahOS stamps receivedAt, receivedBy, the receivedAtAuthority (site), and optional receipt notes.

Step 3: Accession (accept / reject) the sample

Accession is the formal acceptance of a specimen into the lab. There are two levels:

• General accession — acceptanceStatus of ACCEPTED or REJECTED, with acceptedBy / acceptedAt (or rejectedAt).
• Department accession — departmentAccessionStatus, with department-level acceptor and timestamps.

Sites can collapse these into a single Accession step, and can accession by scanning the label rather than finding the order in a list — see Accession & the Lab Scanner.

A rejection captures a structured rejection reason from a fixed list — Tampered, Hemolysed, Insufficient, Leaking, or Wrong container — plus an optional free-text comment.

caution

Once a sample collection step is finalised, it is locked against further edits. Attempting to re-edit a finalised collection is blocked.

Barcodes & accession (sample) numbers

MetahOS generates a barcode for each specimen so it can be tracked physically.

• The base sample ID is the bill number, optionally prefixed.
• Each test can carry a barcode identifier (barcodeIdentifier, configured on the test). When present, the per-test sample ID becomes <baseSampleId>-<barcodeIdentifier>, and a distinct barcode is generated for it. This lets multiple specimens from one bill be told apart.

Printing barcodes straight after registration

When lab tests are booked as part of patient registration, the labels can be printed immediately, without opening the lab worklist. The print produces:

• One bill-level barcode, carrying the site's barcode prefix.
• One barcode per distinct sample type / department on the order.

The label shows the patient's UHID alongside the barcode. If the lab order cannot be read back for any reason, the print falls back to the bill-level barcode alone, so registration is never left without a label.

Printing a single label

When you print the label for one selected test, the identifier, department and specimen all come from that test. Take the label from the printer before starting another print so labels from different tests are not mixed up on the bench.

Print barcode logging

Whenever a barcode is (re)printed, MetahOS writes a barcodePrintLogs entry recording the user, date, the package it was printed for, and a reason (defaulting to "First Print" on the first print and a reprint reason thereafter).

tip

The print log is useful for audit — it shows exactly who reprinted a label and why.

Single-step reprint confirmation

Reprinting a barcode normally walks through several confirmation steps. Sites can replace this with one consolidated confirmation instead, which gathers everything on a single screen:

• The warning about reprinting a label, and the risks of doing so.
• The reason for the reprint.
• A notice that the reprint will be recorded in the audit trail.
• An acknowledgement you must tick before the reprint proceeds.

The reason is mandatory either way, and clearing the selection clears the acknowledgement with it, so a reprint can never be approved against a reason you have since removed.

Recording analyzer / machine data

MetahOS can ingest parameter values pushed directly from lab analyzers (machines), removing manual transcription.

• Each parameter on a test can be flagged to use machine data and mapped to a machine code (machineCode).
• When a machine pushes results, MetahOS matches them by machineCode to the right parameter on the right test and writes the value in.
• Every machine value is also logged separately (source, machine code, parameter name, value, raw payload, patient and package references) for traceability.

info

Machine values are only applied to tests that are not yet completed and to packages that still need a report — already-reported or cleared packages are skipped. A value that arrives from a machine clears any manual abnormal flag so the value is re-evaluated against the range.