How LDMS Storage Handles Shipped Specimens

Specimens go through a two-part process when they are shipped in LDMS. First, they are added to a shipment (also called a batch). Next, the user creates a shipping file from that batch that contains the specimen information. This shipping file is sent to a receiving laboratory, where it is then imported into their LDMS database.

At no point during this process, however, does LDMS Storage remove specimens from the sending laboratory's storage. This means that when you send a shipping file to another laboratory and they import it, both laboratories now have the exact same specimen in LDMS. The Storage Structure list shows the shipment status of a specimen with an icon next to its name.

This is what each icon in the storage structure means.

Specimen has been added to a shipping batch

Item has been marked for shipment

A shipping file with the specimen has been created (e.g. the specimen has been shipped)

You will need to periodically find and remove shipped specimens from your LDMS Storage . This will remove the specimens from storage, and since shipped specimens will not appear in the Bulk Add tab, you won't be able to add them to storage again. This only removes the specimens from storage; they will still appear in other places in LDMS, such as Specimen Management.

Removing shipped specimens from LDMS Storage :

1. In LDMS Storage , select the Search tab.

2. Click the button.

3. Enter a Beginning and Ending date to find specimens with a shipment date within that range. If you leave these blank, LDMS will find all shipped specimens in storage.

4. When prompted to purge items from storage, click Yes.

LDMS does not have a way to automatically perform this purge; you must do it yourself. A good practice would be to remove specimens after sending the physical shipment to the laboratory. If you purge them without contacting the receiving laboratory, you run the risk of something being wrong and no easy way to diagnose the problem.