There are three lineages of specimens: New (primary specimen), Derived, and Aliquot.
The process that you use to edit specimen data will be the same, however the fields that are available to edit will vary based off the specimen lineages.
Initial Considerations
The edit button is available to all users with roles allowing add/edit/delete specimens (i.e. Lab technician or Tissue Banker). Any data that was entered for a specimen can be edited except, in most cases, the specimen label itself. Most data directly linked to a specimen can be edited regardless of the activity status of the sample.
If a sample is ‘Closed’, you can still edit some information like quantity, concentration, anatomic site, and other basic data.
Closed specimens cannot be processed into derivatives or aliquots, or have events added.
Collection and Received Events
The fields associated with Collection and Received Events can only be edited at the primary specimen level. Editing the Collection or Received Details is therefore always done at the primary specimen level and the data is stored associated with that primary sample.
Summary of editable fields by specimen lineage: (click on image for full page view)
New (primary sample) fields:
Derived fields:
Aliquot fields:
Specimen Fields
Some fields are specific to one specimen type within a lineage or all specimens types in a lineage. There are 3 sections associated with the specimen overview page. The general section that describes the specimen itself, the collection event section, and the received event section. Some values are inherited from a parent sample to a child. Others can change from one lineage to the next.
Heritability of values:
If you don’t input the heritable fields at the time of new specimen collection, you can add/edit later on and said fields value will automatically be applied to child specimens.
Heritable fields:
New to Derived: Biohazards, Pathology status, Anatomic Site, Laterality.
New or Derived to Aliquot: all except quantity
How to edit a Specimen: (expand below to view process)
Click on the specimen to change any value, as described above. Select the specimen from any interface (specimen table, specimen list view, query, cart, or container).
Click ‘Edit’ from the Specimen overview page. Note that most fields can be edited now, even if a sample is ‘Closed’.
The screen displays all available fields. Grayed out fields are not editable (i.e. 'Label')
Edit any values and select ‘Update’.