For the latest updates, see EPR Release Notices.
For EPR related videos, check out Digital Education's YouTube Channel.
For the latest updates, see EPR Release Notices.
For EPR related videos, check out Digital Education's YouTube Channel.
Specimen Collection
Covered in this topic:
1. Once an order has been placed, access Specimen Collection by going to the patient's desktop:
a. Patient Care tab, then clicking on the appropriate link under the Print Label/Collect heading.
b. Access can also be obtained from the Specimen Collection link in the Patient's Shortcut menu by clicking on the down arrow.
c. Physicians will access Specimen Collection by going to the patient's desktop, then clicking on the Specimen Collection link from the lower left corner of the desktop.
Note: Certain specimens can only be collected by Providers, such as intrathecal (spinal fluids) or intra-articular (joint fluids) specimens.
2. The first screen of the Specimen Collection queue will provide a number of options for how to proceed. Review the options in your Transaction Line:
a. Select a specimen to collect – EPR will list any specimens that are considered to be “waiting to be collected.” This would include any orders that already have a printed label.
b. Edit Collection Information button: used to edit the collection information only.
c. Print Specimen Labels button: used to begin the specimen collection process by printing a label.
d. Print/Collect Now button – This button would print a label and document collection at the same time. Use of this button is not best practice since it implies that collection was done without a labelled container ready.
3. Since there are no specimens displayed, which indicates that they are waiting to be documented as collected, click on the Print Specimen Labels button to begin the Specimen Collection process.
4. You will now be prompted to specify a collection cut-off date/time. Establishing a time will limit what tests are displayed on the next screen to only those within the cut-off period. You may accept the default cut-off time of two hours, or enter a new date/time, using the date/time format (ddmmyy 0000). Click OK to accept the default date/time or type in a new date/time.
5. The Specimen Options screen appears, which lists all undocumented tests that fall within the specified cut-off window (i.e. the tests due for collection in the next two hours). Select a single test by clicking on the appropriate row item or select multiple tests by holding down the Ctrl key on the keyboard while clicking the multiple items. You may also choose the All button located below the transaction line to select all tests. Click on the appropriate test(s) and then click OK.
Note: Only tests appropriate for your desktop type will show (i.e. nurses will only see nurse collected tests, and physicians will only see physician collected tests).
6. Click Accept to print the label for the selected test.
7. The label will now be printed and ready for pick up. Typically, the Nurse/Physician would log out of the EPR (never leave a logged-in computer unattended), and collect the specimen from the patient. However, for the purposes of these instructions do not log out. Close the Specimen Collection screen by clicking on the X on the banner at the Task Area.
Note: The patient's full name, as it appears in EPR, must appear on Blood Bank specimen labels. Patients with long names may not print fully on specimen labels due to label spacing limitations. If the patient has a long name that does not fit on the specimen label, the collector must handwrite the missing letters of the name and initial the label to acknowledge the correction. If this is not done, the label will be rejected by Blood Bank due to the mismatch in names.
8. After you have physically collected the specimen from the patient, you are now ready to document the collection in the system. From the Patient's Desktop, click on the appropriate Specimen Collection link as you did in Step #2 above.
9. The label you just printed appears in the list with an assigned specimen number. Now you must document the date and time that you collected it. Click on the appropriate specimen, then click OK.
10. The Specimen Collection Information screen appears, and shows the Specimen Number, the default Collection Date/Time, your ID in the Collector field, and a Comment field that can be used if necessary. If you need to edit any of the information below (numbered fields only), select the field and make the necessary changes. Otherwise you do not need to do anything else on this screen to document the specimen. Simply click OK to continue.
Note: The collector field should never be changed as the collector must be the only person that completes this process.
11. Click Accept to complete the documentation of this specimen.
If a lab order is missed, then there is no order and a physician needs to place another order in EPR. If the order existed and was unable to be collected, then it remains active until the phlebotomist acknowledges it has been collected. (The acknowledgment in EPR is a 2 step process: labels are printed from EPR and then once collected, status of ‘collected’ is entered into EPR. This second step changes the order in EPR from active to collected.)
1. From the Patient Desktop, select REPRINT Specimen Label from either the Patient Shortcuts menu (click the drop-down arrow next to Specimen Collect) or from under the Print Label/Collect heading under the Patient Care tab. Click OK.
2. Select the specimen you wish to reprint the label for, and click OK.
3. Verify that the specimen showing is the one you wish to reprint the label for by clicking YES.
4. Collect the reprinted label from the printer.