In the practice of modern medicine, there is a constant need to acquire and store samples of matter from the bodies of patients, in order to aid in the process of medical diagnosis and to evaluate the necessity of treatment, further medical tests, or other procedures. These samples must be labeled and sealed in a fashion that prevents tampering and accurately matches the sample with the patient from which it came. Furthermore, the high volume of samples processed and the generally hectic environment of medical facilities create a special need for a method which is quick, simple, and leaves minimal room for user error.
The current process for labeling and sealing medical samples involves many steps and several different labeling elements, such as the sample cup and the patient information strip, that medical personnel must keep track of while storing the sample. First, the collector hands the sample cup and the tamper strip to the patient, with instructions to: 1) initial the tamper strip, 2) sign the back of the strip, and 3) sign the top of the cup. Next, the collector receives the signed tamper strip back from the patient, scans the patient's information into the system from another adhesive strip, and sets the patient's information strip as well as the signed tamper strip aside for later. Lastly, the collector compares the signatures and patient information on the tamper strip and the cup, ensures that the tamper strip, patient information, and cup match, and then seals the sample by placing the tamper strip over the lid of the cup.
Due to the number of steps and elements involved, this method is relatively slow, which detracts from time spent performing another of a multitude of time-critical tasks required of medical personnel. For the same reasons, this process often results in user error, resulting in medical samples being matched to the wrong patient; this has the potential to cause confusion, delays, and even misdiagnosis. Furthermore, these steps can reduce the confidence of the sample provider that the integrity of the sample has been maintained, which can be a source of anxiety for the sample provider. As such, there is a distinct need for a simpler and more streamlined labeling system.
Double Barcode Label
One way of simplifying the process of storing samples is to reduce the number of elements that the patient must sign, and to reduce the number of elements that the sample collector must keep track of and the number of steps to be performed while carrying out the process. Along these lines, it would also be a benefit to have these steps performed in the sample provider's presence, so that they can witness, and thus have confidence in the chain of custody of the sample. It would also be a benefit for the sample provider to be able to track the chain of custody of the sample. To this end, the label is designed to consolidate the functionalities of multiple different elements into one.
Label and Tamper-Proof Seal
The label 110 may also function as a tamper-proof device, thereby eliminating the separate step of tamper-proofing the vessel and, in some cases, signing the tamper strip or label. As illustrated in
The label 210 may include a hanging end 230 that is not attached to the vessel 100, which end can be extended and/or reattached to the vessel 100 to act as a tamper strip for the vessel 100. The label 210 may include a hanging end 230 that is not attached to the vessel 100, which end 230 can be extended and includes a peel away film or paper 240 that exposes an area of the end of the label that can reattach to the vessel 100 to act as a tamper strip for the vessel 100.
This releasable label 210 may act as a tamper strip and does not require extra identifying information.
In one embodiment, the label 210 may include a bar code or other mechanism 250 to record information related to the sample.
Built-in Label
Along these lines, as seen in
The sample vessel may be a sponge that is attached to a stick. A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the labels described herein would be sized to be appropriate for the collection vessel at issue and/or for the information that need be captured on the label. Related hereto, U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2017/0143314 is incorporated by references as if fully set forth herein.
Sample Labeling Process
By making use of the double-barcode label, it is possible to perform a more streamlined process of labeling and sealing the sample cup by following a process: First, as illustrated in
It should be noted that the patient does not need to fill the sample cup during this process. Through this simplified process, the patient need only place two signatures on one labeling element, rather than three signatures on two separate labeling elements as required by the current method. Furthermore, this eliminates the current method's need for an additional adhesive strip containing the patient's information and a scannable barcode, Further, there is no need to visually confirm that the information on each element matches the information on the others, as both labeling elements in the proposed method come from the same label, and already contain the same information. Lastly, there is no need for the collector to transfer the sample from a cup to a labeled specimen holder, another step which introduces potential error into the sample taking process. As a result, the proposed process has fewer steps where mistakes could be made, and thereby decreases the likelihood of user error and increases the authenticity of the labels.
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Additionally, the program 800 and/or app 900 may execute and/or operate with one or more security processes that are configured to control access to the functions of the app. For example, the program and/or app may execute a security process that requires a user to provide a valid username and password (or other form of identification) to access the features of the app. Further, the app could include certain alerts based on the status of the sample.
The program and/or app may include one or more user interfaces that allow a user to exchange information with the program and/or app, such as through display. User interface allows a user to request data in the form of commands or queries that are processed by business logic/transaction engine. The business logic/transaction engine 850 may be software, when executed by the user through the computer, manages one or more tasks (i.e., processes) consistent with certain features related to the present invention. In one aspect, these tasks may include a location tracker, a sample status identifier, other features task, and alerts task. While the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments above, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that various changes or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62543223 | Aug 2017 | US |