Specimen handling facilities workflow can vary broadly from how specimens are received, to how they are shipped or transferred and all of the processing done in between. One thing, however, that all of these facilities have in common is the need to store specimens. It is imperative that specimen tracking software provide users with a way to not only map their specimen storage, but to track the flow of specimens into and out of those storage locations.
BSI’s Locations module gives users a versatile and interactive platform for creating location maps that match any facility’s actual storage configuration, even allowing users to create custom container types and specify container hierarchy to meet individual needs. BSI can support storage levels that span from entire buildings, to freezers, racks, boxes and, ultimately, individual specimen spaces. In the Locations module, users can first create a custom storage structure, labeling containers to match their actual container counterparts, and then fill these locations with specimens directly from the boxes they will occupy. Container parameters can even be set such that specimens are filled in specific orders and patterns, to match user workflow.
From within the Locations module, users can highlight containers to run container reports, highlight specimens within boxes to run reports on those specimens, and even pull up dialogs displaying data relevant to those specimens. There are tools available to reserve containers or the specimen within those containers for studies. Tools are also available to allow easy transfer of specimens from one box to another or even whole sub containers to different parent containers.
While workflow may differ from facility to facility, specimen storage is always a necessary and critical component of biobanking. As such, it’s important that a user’s system is able to accurately, intuitively and efficiently create and manage that storage. BSI’s Locations manager is designed to make specimen storage simple and streamlined for the user to create a custom locations configuration, fill those locations with specimen, and then perform actions on those specimen.