Using Sample Expiry

• Using Sample Expiry
  • Overview
  • Process
    • How are Expiry Dates and Warning Dates Set in the Sample?
    • Establishing Holding Times and Warning Times
    • When are Expiry Dates and Warning Dates Updated on a Sample Scheme or Sample Scheme Analyte?
    • How are Expiry Dates and Warning Dates Used?
      • When Batching
      • In a Workbook Session

Overview

From the time a sample is taken of prepared by a sample preparation or analytical preparation scheme to the time the sample is analysed, depending on the type of material, the sample can deteriorate to the point at which any analysis is null and void.

Holding times are used to establish the time period for the validity of a sample for analysis, before the sample has deteriorated enough to impact upon the test result and warning times are used to indicate samples coming up to expiry.

Holding time is the maximum time by which a sample has to be prepared, analysed and validated for a test, after which the sample deteriorates to such a point that the correctness of an analytical result would be questionable. The point of deterioration is known as the expiry date. Warning time is the time before expiry where an operator would need indication of impending expiry.

Process

How are Expiry Dates and Warning Dates Set in the Sample?

A sample scheme's and sample scheme analyte's Expiry Date is determined as the sample scheme's and sample scheme analyte's Holding Time, respectively, plus, where the sample scheme's Precursor Scheme Code is:

• Defined, then the precursor sample scheme's Completed Date

• Not defined, then the earliest date of the sample's Sampled Date and Received Date.

A sample scheme's and sample scheme analyte's Warning Date is determined as the sample scheme's and sample scheme analyte's Warning Time, respectively, plus, where the sample scheme's Precursor Scheme Code is:

• Defined, then the precursor sample scheme's Completed Date

• Not defined, then the earliest date of the sample's Sampled Date and Received Date.

Note: The calculation of a sample scheme's Expiry Date and Warning Date is not pushed out later by working days, weekends and holidays.

Establishing Holding Times and Warning Times

A scheme version's and scheme version analyte's Holding Time and Waiting Time is configured using the CCSCHM—Scheme application.

A scheme version has a holding time defined so that a sample scheme expires for analysis after an amount of time has elapsed since the precursor sample scheme was completed, and a scheme version has a waiting time defined so that the imminent time of expiry can be viewed when selecting samples for batching. Refer to Maintaining Versions of a Scheme.

A scheme version analyte has a holding time and warning time to make the duration tighter compared to other analytes on the scheme, for analytes whose analysis is sensitive to sample deterioration. Refer to Maintaining Scheme Version Analytes.

Holding times and warning times are defined in the master scheme versions and scheme version analytes, and are inherited into sample schemes.

Refer to the Effect of Scheme Scope upon Waiting Times on Analysis.

When are Expiry Dates and Warning Dates Updated on a Sample Scheme or Sample Scheme Analyte?

A sample scheme's and sample scheme analyte's Expiry Date and Warning Date are updated via the 'hidden' CCBUPDEXP batch process, whenever any of the inputs change, so therefore at the following points:

• A sample's Received Date is updated by:

  • Running the Mark Received grid flow in the CCREGN—Job Search application, to set the job's Received Date which then cascades to set each sample's Received Date.

  • Updating the job's Received Date in the CCREGN—Update Job application, which then cascades to set each sample's Received Date.

  • Running the Mark Received grid flow on the Samples tab in the CCREGN—Update Job application, to set the sample's Received Date.

  • Updating the sample's Received Date in the CCSAMP—Update Sample or CCSAMPMULTIEDIT—Update Multiple Samples application.

  • Creating a sample via the Create Sample, Create Sample From Template, Create Composite Sample page flow or via the Copy Sample row flow on the Samples tab in the CCREGN—Update Job application.

  • Running the Save As flow in the CCREGN—Update Job application, which then sets a sample's Sampled Date or Received Date.

• A sample's Sampled Date is modified by:

  • Updating the sample's Sampled Date in the CCSAMP—Update Sample or CCSAMPMULTIEDIT—Update Multiple Samples application.

• A sample scheme or sample scheme analyte is created by:

  • Running the Add Scheme with Mandatory Analytes or Add Entire Scheme row flow on the Tests tab in the CCSAMP—Update Sample or CCSAMPMULTIEDIT—Update Multiple Samples application, to add a scheme version to a sample.

  • Running the Add Scheme with Mandatory Analytes or Add Entire Scheme row flow on the Tests tab in the CCSAMP—Update Sample or CCSAMPMULTIEDIT—Update Multiple Samples application, which then automatically adds a precursor scheme to the sample.

• A sample scheme or sample scheme analyte is deleted by:

  • Deleting the scheme or analyte on the Tests tab of the CCSAMP—Update Sample or CCSAMPMULTIEDIT—Update Multiple Samples application.

• A sample scheme or sample scheme analyte is added by:

  • Running the Add Tests from Template, Create Sample From Template, Create Composite Sample page flow or via the Copy Sample row flow on the Samples tab in the CCREGN—Update Job application, which creates a precursor sample scheme or sample scheme analyte, respectively.

  • Running the Save As flow in the CCREGN—Update Job application, which then creates a precursor sample scheme or sample scheme analyte, respectively.

• A precursor sample scheme's Completed Date is updated by:

  • Setting or clearing of LNR, IS, NA and NR in the CCSGRD—Sample Grid application to update a sample scheme analyte's Workflow Status, which cascades to set or clear the sample scheme's Completed Date.

  • Entering or clearing of an analytical result in the CCWKOP—Open Workbook application.

  • Running the Set Scheme Workflow Status row flow, to or from Completed, on the job search results grid is run in the CCREGN—Job Search application.

  • Running the Set Scheme Workflow Status grid flow, to or from Completed, on the Tests tab of a job opened in the CCREGN—Job Search application.

  • Releasing, unreleasing, validating or unvalidating results during sample and job validation in the CCVALN—Validation Search application.

  • Updating a related sample portion's Location Code in the CCPRTN—Update Portion application, and the location's Sample Prep Action changes the sample scheme's Workflow Status which then sets or clears the preparation sample scheme's Completed Date.

  • De-linking samples from a batch job when Maintaining Batch Samples, such that, the batch job contains schemes with precursor scheme relationships between them.

    Example: A laboratory batch contains Sample1Sch1 --> Sample1Sch2 --> Sample1Sch3 with precursor scheme relationships indicated by the arrows. When Sample1Sch2 is de-linked from the laboratory batch, then the laboratory batch Sample1Sch3's Precursor Scheme Code is set to Sample1Sch1.

    Refer to the Conditions for Defaulting Precursor Sample Scheme Relationships.

• A sample scheme's or sample scheme analyte's Holding Time is updated by:

  • Updating a sample scheme's or sample scheme analyte's Holding Time on the Tests tab of the CCSAMP—Update Sample or CCSAMPMULTIEDIT—Update Multiple Samples application.

  • Updating a sample scheme's or sample scheme analyte's Holding Time in the CCREGNSMPLSCH—Update Sample Scheme or CCREGNSMPLSCHANA—Update Sample Scheme Analyte application, respectively.

When any of these events occur to change the inputs, a record is written to the CCDATEUPDATEBATCHQUEUE table that contains the sample's Organisation Code, Laboratory Code, Job Code, Sample Code and Source, which is an enum with the following values:

• 1—SAMPLE_RECEIVED_DATE_MODIFIED

• 2—SAMPLE_SAMPLED_DATE_MODIFIED

• 3—SAMPLE_SCHEME_AND_SAMPLE_SCHEME_ANALYTE_CREATION

• 4—SAMPLE_SCHEME_COMPLETED_DATE_MODIFIED

• 5— SAMPLE_SCHEME_HOLIDING_TIME_UPDATE, SAMPLE_SCHEME_ANALYTE_HOLDING_TIME_UPDATE

• 6—SAMPLE_SCHEME_DELETION, SAMPLE_SCHEME_ANALYTE_DELETION

• 7—SAMPLE_SCHEME_ADDITION, SAMPLE_SCHEME_ANALYTE_ADDITION

The system scheduler places the CCBUPDEXP batch job periodically on the system batch queue to recalculate a sample scheme's or sample scheme analyte's Expires On and Warning On dates using the records in the table.

How are Expiry Dates and Warning Dates Used?

When Batching

When Batching Samples for Analysis, samples returned from a search for the selected schemes or scheme analytes are displayed along with the earliest Expiry Date and Warning Date for those schemes or analytes, and with the earliest Precursor Expiry Date and Precursor Warning Date for the precursor sample schemes of the selected schemes or analytes. When multiple schemes are selected for batching, the earliest Expiry Date is displayed for a single sample.

Samples can be sorted by the expiry date or precursor expiry date so that those about to expire or those whose precursor scheme is about to expire can be selected ahead of other samples for batching. To assist in this:

• Samples that have reached their allocated warning date are displayed in yellow in the lower grid of the CCBTCH—Job Batch Details screen.

• Samples that have reached their expiry date are displayed in pink in the lower grid of the CCBTCH—Job Batch Details screen.

Example: S1 sample's Received Date is 22-Jun-23, S2 sample's Received Date is 24-Jun-23.

Given the following sample schemes for S1 and S2:

Sample Scheme	Sample Scheme Analyte	Workflow Status	Holding Time (days)	Expiry Date	Completed Date	Precursor Sample Scheme
AnaPrepS1		STARTED	3	25-Jun-23	empty	empty
	P1	NOT STARTED	2	24-Jun-23	empty
	P2	ANALYSED	1	23-Jun-23	empty
AnaPrepS2		COMPLETED	4	26-Jun-23	26-Jun-23	empty
	P1	COMPLETED	2	24-Jun-23	26-Jun-23
	P2	COMPLETED	2	24-Jun-23	26-Jun-23
AnaS1		NOT STARTED	5	empty	empty	AnaPrepS1
	A1	NOT STARTED	1	empty	empty
	A2	NOT STARTED	2	empty	empty
	A3	NOT STARTED	3	empty	empty
AnaS2		NOT STARTED	3	29-Jun-23	empty	AnaPrepS2
	A1	NOT STARTED	2	28-Jun-23	empty
	A2	STARTED	empty	empty	empty
	A3	NOT STARTED	1	27-Jun-23	empty
Ana2S2		RELEASED	4	28-Jun-23	empty	empty
	A1	RELEASED	2	26-Jun-23	empty

Using the previous table, the following table shows the earliest expiry date when different combinations of schemes and analytes are selected when searching for samples for batching:

Selected Scheme	Selected Analyte	Sample	Precursor Expiry Date	Expiry Date
AnaPrep	All	S1	empty	24-Jun-23
Ana	A1, A2	S1 S2	24-Jun-23 empty	empty 28-Jun-23
Ana	All	S1 S2	24-Jun-23 empty	empty 27-Jun-23
Ana2	All	S2	empty	empty

In a Workbook Session

Upon Opening a Workbook Session, cells are locked where the sample scheme's or sample scheme analyte's Expiry Date is exceeded. Refer to Unlocking Workbook Cells.

Refer to the Effect of Scheme Scope upon Expiry and Warning of Expiry in Workbook.