Specimen
Summary
In CARE, a Specimen represents a physical sample collected from a patient for diagnostic analysis. This includes blood, urine, swabs, or tissue samples collected as part of a diagnostic process. Each specimen is associated with a patient, collected during an encounter, and typically originates from a ServiceRequest.
Specimens can optionally be instantiated from a SpecimenDefinition, inheriting baseline properties such as type, preparation, and container. However, all real-world specifics — collection details, condition, and processing — are captured in the Specimen resource itself.
Core Relationships
| Related Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
Patient | The subject from whom the specimen was collected |
Encounter | The clinical context of collection |
ServiceRequest | The reason the specimen was collected |
SpecimenDefinition | (Optional) Template from which the specimen was instantiated |
Procedure | Procedure during which the specimen was collected |
Observation | Diagnostic data produced based on this specimen |