In one sentence
Probe is the German word for the sample itself, which is the blood, saliva, urine or stool material that a laboratory analyses. It is the only physical object in a diagnostics order, so its condition decides whether a result exists at all.
Probe is the German word for the sample, meaning the material a customer gives so that a laboratory can measure something in it. A supplier can send you an order confirmation and a report as data, but the Probe is the one physical object in the process, which is why most operational problems in diagnostics are problems with a Probe.
The collection method decides which Probe you get and therefore which parameters you can sell. Aniva offers six collection methods, and those are a venous draw and a capillary kit as well as an at-home kit and saliva, urine and stool collection. More than 2,500 orderable parameters across eight modalities are available on top of those methods, so the method question comes before the panel question.
Ask a supplier these four questions about the sample itself.
- Which collection methods does the supplier operate today, and which parameters need each one?
- How is each Probe labelled, and how is that label connected to the order in your system?
- What happens when a Probe cannot be analysed, and who tells the customer about it?
- Which status events does the supplier report while a Probe is on its way to the laboratory?
In this glossary, Präanalytik explains why the handling before the laboratory decides the value of a Probe, Kapillarblut describes the smallest common sample type, and Testkit covers what is inside the box.
This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat or rule out any condition. Discuss your own results with a clinician who knows your history.
