Chain of Custody is the Legally Defensible System of Controls

What is Chain of Custody?

Chain of Custody is the legally defensible system of controls which document the progress of a specimen from the point of collection to the reporting of results. It is designed to link, beyond doubt, the specimen to the donor, and the result to the specimen.
The Chain of Custody starts when the sample is collected. The donor must be identified, and sign to confirm ownership of the sample that is sent for analysis. The associated paperwork, referred to as the Chain of Custody Form (CoC form), carries the donor’s signature and the collecting officer’s signature, and must have a means of linking the paperwork to the specimen. In Medscreen’s case the CoC form carries barcoded bottle seals with the same barcode number pre-printed onto the CoC form.
When the sample arrives at the laboratory basic checks are made to confirm that the Chain of Custody is intact. The Chain of Custody form must be signed by the donor; the bottle seals must be intact; the three barcode numbers, one on each bottle and one on the CoC form, must match.
If the sample is accepted for analysis, the barcode is used to track its progress. We will have a complete record of all handling and locations from the time it arrives in the laboratory up to the point at which it is disposed of – after two weeks if it is negative, after twelve months if the result is positive.

	We remember, behind every test is an individual	What is Chain of Custody?
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