How to record where a sample is stored¶
Recording the freezer position of a sample lets anyone find the physical tube later, without opening every box. This matters most for samples held for retesting, for confirmatory work, or for a quality review.
Before starting¶
- Samples registered in InteLIS
- The freezer, rack, box, and position where the tube goes
- Permission to view test requests
The freezer names come from a list the administrator maintains. If a freezer is missing from the list, ask the administrator to add it under ADMIN → System Configuration → Lab Storage.
Open the storage page¶
- Go to HIV VIRAL LOAD → Request Management → View Test Requests.
- Select Samples Storage at the top right of the list.
Record a position¶
- Choose the Lab and the Freezer.
- Filter to the samples being stored, using Sample Collection Date, Sample Received at Lab Date, or Facility Name.
- Select Get Samples.
- For each sample, fill in the storage details.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Rack | The rack inside the freezer |
| Box | The box inside the rack |
| Position | The position inside the box |
| Volume(ml) | The volume stored, if the lab tracks it |
| Date out | The date the sample left storage, filled in on removal |
| Comments | Anything needed to find or interpret the sample |
- Select Save.
Record the position at the moment the tube goes into the freezer. A position written down later, from memory, is the position the tube was meant to go in, not necessarily where it is.
Record many samples at once¶
Where a whole box goes in at one time, use Storage Bulk Upload. Fill the spreadsheet with the Sample IDs and their positions, then upload it.
Record a sample leaving storage¶
Set Date out on the sample's row and save. The sample stays on record with its history, so a later search shows where it was and when it left.
Find a stored sample¶
- Go to HIV VIRAL LOAD → Management → Freezer/Storage Reports.
- Filter by freezer, by date, or by facility.
The report gives the current position of each sample and its storage history. Export it to a spreadsheet for a stock check against the physical freezer.
Confirm it worked¶
Search for the sample on the Samples Storage page. Current Storage shows the freezer, rack, box, and position just recorded.