Introduction

When the entire collected parent specimen is processed, the specimen gets exhausted. In OpenSpecimen, users can close such specimens automatically through settings at the collection protocol level.

A closed specimen is a non-existing specimen whose record is still available but cannot be further processed or distributed.

While collecting specimens, on the ‘Collect Specimens’ task, towards the extreme right, there is an option for closing the specimens. It closes the parent specimens after collection and is useful when the parent specimen is to be discarded or gets exhausted while processing its child specimens.

CP Settings

By default, the close box on specimen collection pages for parent specimens is unchecked. To mark those parent specimens as closed by default, change the setting in the collection protocol as described below.

Click on Label Format and Print under the Settings tab on the left hand panel of a collection protocol overview page.
Click on ‘Edit’ → ‘Show advanced settings’.
By default ‘Closing Parent Specimens’ is set to ‘No’

To enable closing of parent specimens, select the “Yes“ checkbox.

Closed Specimens

The below section mentions what happens to the specimens after being closed

Once a specimen is closed, it cannot be used for further processing or distribution, but the specimens can be reopened and then edited.

On closing the specimen, editing/adding data in fields, forms, and events of specimens is allowed.
1. Below action is forbidden on 'Closed' specimens
  1. Store
  2. Distribute
  3. Ship
  4. Create Derivative/Aliquot
There is a disposal event logged for the specimen by the system and the storage location gets freed. As seen in the image below, the storage location then shows “Not stored”.

Closing Parent Specimens

Introduction

CP Settings

Closed Specimens