Lab Specimen Locator

Specimen Locator System (SLS)

Key Functions and Menu Choices

• Login of specimen tube into next available slot (with or without bar codes)
• Quickly and Easily find specimen tube, save 10 or more hours per week
• Remove specimen tube (read accession number bar code), records operator id
• Return specimen tube (read accession number bar code) to original slot, records oper id
• Operator Login / Logout with two levels of security
• Management Functions
  • Maintenance of system tables, e.g., coded comments, operators, etc.
  • Ability to do batch clear of entire rack or set of racks
  • Rack report, date and time stamp of current contents
  • Backup / Restore on 3 ½ diskette plus downtime report
  • Rack definition maintenance
  • Modify Container Code Default

Design Characteristics

• Handles duplicate accession numbers, e.g., aliquoted specimens
• Network ready, users at PC1 can locate specimens stored at PC2, and vice-versa
• Separation of specimens from different areas of the lab, e.g.,
• fluids / frozen specimens
• Flexible rack dimensions, each rack is defined separately
• Easy to use menuing system
• Uses ordinary personal computer (PC)
• Virtually unlimited number of specimens can be tracked
• Capacity to track specimens for as long as necessary
• Records operator associated with key operations
• Provides two levels of identification, e.g., accession number and container code
• Automatic location of next available slot across racks sequentially

Indications for the use of a Specimen Locator Type solution

• Too much time spent looking for specimens
• As in a library where the book is always placed back on the shelf so with lab specimens
• On hand specimen volume exceeds  800 specimens, that is, minimum of 8 - 10 racks
• Specimen recall rate is 5% or higher
• It is critical to find all specimens, which are still in the lab inventory