YNHH Laboratory Manual

All specimens submitted to the Clinical Laboratories must have the specimen container labeled with the patient's full name and unit number, as well as the current date and time of collection. (The patient's birth date may substitute for the unit number if the unit number is not available.) The requisition must also contain the above information, the name of the physician or other authorized person requesting the test, the time of collection, and diagnosis, if available. Specimens with an electronic requisition (i.e., ordered on a CCSS terminal) must carry the computer-generated label corresponding to that requisition. If a specimen is sent in multiple containers, each container must be labeled. The patient identification label must be affixed directly to the specimen tube or container. A requisition slip attached to the specimen is NOT an adequate label. It often becomes separated from the specimen by the time it reaches the laboratory. For the safety of the patient, the laboratory cannot analyze specimens which arrive with inadequate or discrepant identification. In such cases a new specimen must be obtained

Labeling requirements for the Blood Bank are more stringent. Specimens SHOULD be submitted in pink top tubes. The label MUST include the patient's full name and unit number (or date of birth, if the unit number is unavailable), as well as the current date and the signature or first initial and last name of the person drawing and labeling the specimen. Addressograph or CCSS labels are acceptable provided the label contains ALL appropriate information AND the signature or first initial and last name of the caregiver collecting the specimen. Addressograph labels do not always fit on the tubes. ALL required information MUST be on the tube when it arrives in the Blood Bank. Improperly labeled specimens will not be used

Physicians are also reminded that the patient's consent must be obtained and documented before an HIV antibody test is requested. Hepatitis/HIV testing is carried out in Virology

Specimens submitted to Microbiology must also include the diagnosis and the exact anatomic site from which the specimen was obtained. This information may be on the requisition, rather than the label. For blood culture bottles, do NOT cover the barcode with the patient label.

Updated: Sep-2007