LIMS sample tracking is the custody chain kept as data: every time a sample changes hands or position, the record gains a line with who, when and where. Lab tracking software is the generic name for it; a barcode system for laboratory samples is how the line is written without typing, a scan at receipt, at the bench and at the freezer; chain of custody software is the same record sold to labs whose clients or regulators will ask for the chain in court. For a small lab the three are one feature of the sample record. This page is about that record, and the free results review sheet on this site works the review load that sits at the end of every chain, from the lab's own numbers with no account.
Lab tracking software: the chain as lines on the record
Received by, accessioned by, tested by, reviewed by, stored by, disposed by: each a name and a time on the sample. A chain of custody form in a drawer proves the chain once; chain of custody software proves it every time the sample moves, and prints the form when asked.
Barcodes as the way the lines get written
A label at receipt with the accession number, a scan at every hand-off: the barcode system for laboratory samples is what makes LIMS sample tracking a habit rather than a chore, because nobody types an accession number twice. A small lab needs a label printer, a scanner and a record that accepts a scan as a move.
The end of the chain
Every chain ends at a reviewer who releases the result, and the review load is the figure that decides whether the chain backs up there: 400 results a week at three minutes each is 20 hours against 24 available on the worked example, from the results review sheet on this site. Limslane Pro keeps the chain and the queue at one flat price.
Questions people ask about lims sample tracking
What is LIMS sample tracking?
The custody chain as data: who, when and where on every move of every sample, written by scan rather than by hand.
Do I need chain of custody software separately?
Not if the sample record keeps every move with a name and a time and prints the chain on request; that is the same feature.
What does a barcode system for laboratory samples need?
A label at receipt, a scanner at each hand-off and a record that accepts a scan as a move; Limslane Pro accepts the scan.