Move a Lab Sample Through Four Stages

Who / when: the Lab Scientist at the bench, from the moment a specimen arrives until the report is signed out. A clinician has already ordered the test; the scientist now carries the sample through its life, one stage at a time, so anyone glancing at the worklist can see exactly where every specimen is.

Every lab sample travels the same four stages: collected (the specimen exists), received (the lab has it in hand and has accessioned it), in-process (results are being entered), and resulted (verified and signed out). The worklist shows each sample’s stage as a pill that advances as you work, and the journey ends with your eSign PIN — your 6-digit electronic signature, separate from your password — which both verifies the values and releases the report.

Caution

This is the order-versus-fulfil split, and it is strict. Prescribers order tests in the chart or the Diagnostics Suite; lab scientists result them here. A prescriber’s permissions never include result entry, so the bench screens below never appear in their navigation.

1. Lab Scientist — open Labs → Accession. The screen is titled Accession Sample. Select the ordered test and its specimen and accession it: the specimen is barcoded and routed to its bench or analyzer. This is the collected → received step — the lab now formally holds the sample, and a fresh row appears on the Results worklist.
2. Lab Scientist — if you need a label, print it from this screen with “Print Label” (a PDF) or “ZPL” for a label printer (ZPL = Zebra Programming Language, the language label printers speak).
3. Lab Scientist — open Labs → Results & Worklist and click the new sample to open its analytes. Enter each analyte value. As you type, the sample moves into the in-process stage, and any out-of-range value flags automatically as Low, High, Critical Low, or Critical High. Use “Save Draft” to keep your entries without releasing while you finish the run.
4. Lab Scientist — when the values are complete, press “Verify & Sign Out”. In the confirm dialog (“Verify & Release Results”), enter your 6-digit eSign PIN and press “Confirm Release”. The sample is now resulted: a branded result PDF is generated, the values appear on the chart, and the result can no longer be edited without a formal amendment.

Note

If your facility has turned on two-stage verification, signing out submits the result for senior review instead of releasing it (the button reads “Release (Verify)” and the dialog reads “Submit for Senior Review”). The sample is not resulted until a second verifier approves it.

Caution

If a value lands in a critical range, it is escalated automatically and must be communicated and confirmed before the loop is closed — do not treat the release as the end. Follow Close the Loop on a Critical Lab Value.

What happens next: the moment you release, the ordering clinician is notified that a result is ready (a content-free notice, carrying no values) — see Send a Result Back to the Ordering Clinician. To amend a released result later, reopen it, use “Amend (Re-Sign)” and re-sign with your eSign PIN; the original is preserved.

Follow the trail

• Previous: Send a Lab Order Down to the Analyzer
• Next: Send a Result Back to the Ordering Clinician
• Related: Match, Verify and Release an Analyzer Result · Enter a Lab Result by Hand and Release It