Sample for analysis.

Id for specimen.

The kind of material that forms the specimen.

The type can change the way that a specimen is handled, and drives what kind of analyses can properly be performed on the specimen. It is frequently used in diagnostic work flow decision making systems.

Reference to the parent (source) specimen which is used when the specimen was either derived from or a component of a another specimen.

The parent specimen could be the source from which the current specimen is derived by some processing step (e.g.  an aliquot or isolate or extracted nucleic acids from clinical samples) or one of many specimens that were combined to create a pooled sample.

Where the specimen came from. This may be from the patient(s) or from the environment or a device.

Must know the subject context.

The identifier assigned by the lab when accessioning specimen(s). This is not necessarily the same as the specimen identifier, depending on local lab procedures.

Time when specimen was received for processing or testing.

Details concerning the specimen collection.

Person who collected the specimen.

To communicate any details or issues encountered during the specimen collection procedure.

Time when specimen was collected from subject - the physiologically relevant time.

The quantity of specimen collected; for instance the volume of a blood sample, or the physical measurement of an anatomic pathology sample.

A coded value specifying the technique that is used to perform the procedure.

Anatomical location from which the specimen was collected (if subject is a patient). This element is not used for environmental specimens.

Details concerning treatment and processing steps for the specimen.

Textual description of procedure.

A coded value specifying the procedure used to process the specimen.

Material used in the processing step.

The container holding the specimen. The recursive nature of containers; i.e. blood in tube in tray in rack is not addressed here.

Id for container. There may be multiple; a manufacturer's bar code, lab assigned identifier, etc. The container ID may differ from the specimen id in some circumstances.

Textual description of the container.

The type of container associated with the specimen (e.g. slide, aliquot, etc).

The capacity (volume or other measure) the container may contain.

The quantity of specimen in the container; may be volume, dimensions, or other appropriate measurements, depending on the specimen type.

Introduced substance to preserve, maintain or enhance the specimen. examples: Formalin, Citrate, EDTA.