Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Absorbent material
- Padding placed around a specimen pot that would soak up the contents if it leaked.
- Category B specimen (UN3373)
- The transport label used for ordinary patient samples, which sets out how they must be packed.
- COSHH
- The rules covering work with substances hazardous to health, such as the preservative used for specimens.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to tell a patient promptly when something has gone wrong, apologise, and explain what will be done.
- Fixative / formalin
- The liquid a specimen is placed in to preserve it on the way to the laboratory.
- Laterality
- Which side of the body, left or right. Always written in full so it cannot be misread.
- Manifest
- The signed list of specimens handed to a courier, proving what was collected and when.
- Orientation suture
- A stitch marking a known point on a specimen so the laboratory can say which edge is which.
- Primary receptacle
- The pot the specimen itself is in.
- Reconciliation
- Checking a list against reality, here to confirm every specimen sent has a result.
- Secondary packaging
- The leak-proof container the pot travels inside.
- Specimen log
- The register of every specimen taken, tracked until the patient has been told the result.