Method for determining a sample processing workflow

Abstract

A method for determining a sample processing workflow, comprising: obtaining, by a first computing device, sample-specific data from an indicium of a sample tube comprising a laboratory sample, the sample specific data being representative of the laboratory sample, wherein the first computing device is operatively connected with one or more laboratory instruments for biological sample processing; obtaining, based on and / or from the sample-specific data, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample; determining, by the first computing device and using the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample for the one or more laboratory instruments, sample processing workflow data representative of a sample processing workflow to be carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments to process the laboratory sample.

Description

[0001] METHOD FOR DETERMINING A SAMPLE PROCESSING WINDOW

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to a method for determining a sample processing workflow. Further, the present disclosure relates to a computing device and a system for carrying out the steps of said method, a computer-readable medium, and a computer program product.

[0003] When it comes to laboratory sample processing, laboratory instruments that can process biological samples will be employed and different steps or procedures can be carried out, which may include pre-processing, processing (e.g., analyzing) and post processing the samples and / or the sample containers comprising those samples. For instance, usually, in order to carry out one or more tests on a sample, a volume of that samples is drawn e.g., from a sample tube. Said volume is to be sufficient for carrying out those tests and may include reserve volume e.g., for re-running certain tests, if needed. The processing of a sample may comprise carrying out one or more measurements and also evaluating of the measurement results, which can, in some cases, trigger further steps, such as rerunning one or more tests and / or running additional tests. The different steps or procedures to be carried out on a sample are part of the sample processing workflow of that sample. Determining the sample processing workflow can, however, be challenging, as it involves taking into account various factors, including sample volume and processing capacities of the laboratory instruments, as generally multiple samples have to be processed by the same set of laboratory instruments.

[0004] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention, to provide methods and systems to address these challenges, in particular to provide an improved determination of sample processing workflows.

[0005] This is achieved by the subject-matter of the independent claims. Exemplary embodiments are incorporated in the dependent claims and in the following description.

[0006] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for determining a sample processing workflow. The method comprises obtaining, by a first computing device, sample-specific data from an indicium of a sample tube comprising a laboratory sample, the sample specific data being representative of the laboratory sample, wherein the first computing device is operatively connected with one or more laboratory instruments for biological sample processing. The method further comprises obtaining, based on and / or from the samplespecific data, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample. The method further comprises determining, by the first computing device and using the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample for the one or more laboratory instruments, sample processing workflow data representative of a sample processing workflow to be carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments to process the laboratory sample.

[0007] DV:CHPConventionally, quality control samples are processed according to the same sample processing workflow used to process biological samples drawn from subjects, e.g. patients. According to the method of the present disclosure, determining the sample processing workflow is carried out by taking into account whether or not that sample is a quality control sample, (also referred to as QC sample hereinbelow), or not. This way, QC samples are processed according to a sample processing workflow that is different from the workflow according to which biological samples and is tailored to the purpose of the QC sample processing, e.g., of determining whether one or more tests carried out by the one or more instruments provide reliable results. This way, the sample processing workflow for QC samples can be improved and / or streamlined. Accordingly, the method of the present disclosure addresses the challenges outlined above and, in particular, provides an improved method of determining a sample processing workflow.

[0008] For example, the inventors found that the efficiency of laboratory samples processing improves if the workflow is already determined considering that the steps to be carried out, e.g. analyzing and aliquoting steps, may be different for QC samples and biological samples drawn from subjects, and that there may be cases where the QC samples may have to be processed with higher priority than some of the biological samples drawn from subjects. This will also be apparent from some examples described further below.

[0009] The method according to the present disclosure may be a computer-implemented method, which may be carried out by the first computing device, possibly together with other computing devices, such as a second computing device described below.

[0010] A laboratory sample is in particular, a sample that can be processed by the laboratory instruments. For instance, the laboratory sample may be a biological sample, e.g., a specimen of material taken from a biological organism, e.g., a subject such as a patient. That material may for instance be such tissue, blood, urine, saliva, or other bodily fluids such as samples comprising blood, tissue, and / or other materials taken from a subject, e.g. patient. In the present disclosure, laboratory samples taken from a subject, i.e., biological samples, may be referred to as subject samples. The laboratory samples may be a quality control sample.

[0011] A quality control sample may be a laboratory sample with known, predefined characteristics, e.g., analyte content and concentration, that is used to carry out a QC check on one or more tests carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments, e.g., to assess the reliability of the results provided by those one or more laboratory instruments that perform those one or more tests. In particular, the characteristics of the QC sample provide a benchmark against which the results of the those one or more tests carried by the one or more laboratoryinstruments on the QC sample can be compared. For example, the concentration or levels of key analytes or components contained in the QC sample may be predefined, known, and e.g., provided by the manufacturer of the QC sample. They represent the expected value that the instrument should detect when carrying out the one or more tests on the QC sample. A sample tube is in particular a container into which the laboratory sample can be inserted and that can be processed by the one or more laboratory instruments. In general, a sample tube may be a sample container configured to receive and hold the laboratory sample. Accordingly, the sample container may comprise an opening for receiving the QC material and a bottom as well as one or more walls to hold the sample, wherein the opening may be configured to be releasably closed by a closing element, e.g. a cap. Typically, sample tubes comprise a closed tube end and an end opposite thereto. The latter end defines an opening for inserting the laboratory sample in the sample tube. The opening may be closeable, e.g. sealable, by a cap. In particular, the sample tube may have a substantially cylindrical shape (i.e. a cylindrical wall), with the opening at one base and the bottom at the opposite base. An indicium, e.g., a label, may be comprised in, attached to, and / or integrated in the sample tube. That indicium allows for identifying the sample tube and / or the laboratory sample, e.g., to uniquely associate the laboratory sample with the results of the tests carried out on that sample. The indicium may comprise, e.g., be a carrier of, sample-specific data, which comprise information associated with and specific to the laboratory sample. In particular, the sample-specific data comprises identification information indicative of the sample tube and / or of the laboratory sample. This identification information may uniquely identify the sample tube and / or of the laboratory sample.

[0012] The indicium may be machine-readable. For example, the indicium may comprise a QR code, a barcode, an NFC tag, a RFID tag, and the like. The indicium may, for example, be provided as a label attached to the sample tube.

[0013] A read-out device like a camera, an RFID reader, an NFC antenna, a barcode scanner, and the like, may yield the sample-specific data carried by the indicium. The data may then be accessed and processed by a computing device, for example the first computing device. Obtaining sample-specific data from the indicium of the sample tube may, for example, comprise instructing, by the first computing device, a read-out device e.g., comprised in or in data communication with the first computing device, to read out the information comprised in the indicium. Alternatively or in addition, obtaining sample-specific data from the indicium may comprise receiving, by the first computing device the sample-specific data from the read-out device. Alternatively or in addition, obtaining sample-specific data from the indiciummay comprise retrieving, by the first computing device, the sample-specific data from a data storage, in particular a data storage in data communication with the read-out device.

[0014] The first computing device is operatively connected with one or more laboratory instruments for biological sample processing. The first computing device may be integrally formed with at least one of the laboratory instruments. Alternatively, the first computing device may be separate from the laboratory instruments.

[0015] In particular, the first computing device is operatively connected with one or more laboratory instruments such that the first computing device is in data communication, e.g., in direct data communication, with the one or more laboratory instruments. For example, for safety reasons, direct communication with laboratory instruments may be restricted, such that only computing devices operatively connected with the one or more laboratory instruments can directly communicate with them.

[0016] For instance, the first computing device is operatively connected with one or more laboratory instruments such that the first computing device and the one or more laboratory instruments interact and communicate with each other, e.g., to carry out the sample processing workflow to process the laboratory sample. For example, the first computing device may be configured to initiate the processing of the laboratory sample, by instructing the one or more laboratory instruments to process the laboratory sample according to the sample processing workflow. In particular, the one or more laboratory instruments are configured to receive and interpret those instructions and to process the laboratory sample according to the sample processing workflow. For instance, the one or more laboratory instruments may be configured to communicate analysis results and / or their status to the first computing device. Exemplarily, the first computing device may be configured to receive and process inputs, e.g., obtained from an indicium of a sample tube and / or from a user interface, and to provide those inputs (or the outcome of the processing of those inputs) to the one or more laboratory instruments. Thus, for example, the first computing device may provide a user interface allowing a user to monitor and / or interact with the workflows and / or the one or more laboratory instruments. The one or more laboratory instruments may comprise one or more laboratory analyzers, one or more pre-processing instruments (e.g., a decapper, a centrifuge, an aliquoter, and the like), one or more a post-processing instruments (e.g., a storage unit for storing sample containers) and / or one or more transportations components (e.g., a track, a belt, a sample tube carrier, and the like) for configured to move sample tubes. The one or more laboratory instruments may comprise, e.g., consist of, one or more laboratory analyzers. The one or more laboratory analyzers may be, in particular, configured to carry out one or more analytic steps, such as measuring one or more characteristics of a biological sample, e.g., theconcentration of an analyte. The one or more laboratory analyzers may include an immunoassay analyzer, a chemistry analyzer, and identification and antibiotic susceptibility analyzer, a bacteriology analyzer, a molecular analyzer, a hematology analyzer, a urinalysis instrument, and the like. A laboratory instrument for processing biological sample may, for example, be a laboratory instrument suitable for, in particular configured to analyze biological samples of subjects, e.g., patients.

[0017] A sample processing workflow may comprise one or more processing steps, e.g. a chronological sequence thereof, that are to be carried out to process the laboratory sample according to the sample processing workflow. The processing steps may be carried out on the laboratory sample, on the sample container, and / or on data associated with the laboratory sample, e.g., the result of a laboratory test carried out in the laboratory sample. An exemplary processing step is the execution of a laboratory test on the biological sample. In addition, the sample processing workflow may comprise one or more of: aliquoting a sample, transporting a sample, capping sample tubes, decapping samples tubes, providing a result of a laboratory test carried out on the laboratory sample to a computing device, e.g., the first computing device, and the like. In particular, the sample processing workflow may identify a plurality of components within the one or more laboratory instruments and, for each component of those plurality of components, a respective processing step which that component is to carry out. Exemplarily, the route plan may specify an order according to which the sample should be handled by the different components of the one or more laboratory instruments, i.e. a temporal sequence of processing steps. Some processing steps may be carried out one after the other, other processing steps may be carried out with at least a partial time overlap, yet other processing steps may be carried out at any point in time and may, thus, not be included in the temporal sequence (while still being part of the route plan). Accordingly, the sample processing workflow may comprise an ordered list of processing steps that each component of the one or more laboratory instruments is to carry out.

[0018] The method further comprises obtaining, based on and / or from the sample-specific data, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample. Data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may comprise an indicator that indicates that the laboratory sample is a quality control sample or that the laboratory samples is not a quality control sample, for example a quality control sample identifier. Alternatively or in addition, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may comprise one or more instructions, the instructions being different for quality control samples and non-quality control samples. Forexamples, the instructions may be instructions concerning steps and / or procedures to be carried out on the sample, e.g. as part of the workflow.

[0019] Obtaining the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may comprise requesting, e.g. by means of a query, from a second computing device those data. For example, the second computing device may be external to the one or more laboratory instruments, optionally remote from the one or more laboratory instruments. In particular, the second computing device may not be in direct data communication and / or not be operatively connected with the one or more laboratory instruments. For example, a query comprising at least part of the sample-specific data representative of the laboratory sample may be sent e.g., by the first computing device to the second computing device, and the data representative of whether the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may be received e.g., by the first computing device from the second computing device, e.g. as part of a query response. Alternatively, the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may be received by the first computing device from a third computing device, e.g., the third computing device being prompted, by the second computing device and in response to the query, to provide the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample to the first computing device. Obtaining the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may, alternatively or in addition, comprise retrieving the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample from a data source, particularly a data source external from the first computing device. For example, the first computing device may access a data source on a server. Alternatively, or in addition, obtaining the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may comprise processing, by the first computing device, the sample-specific data, for example to derive, in particular extract and / or decode, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample is derivable from, e.g. encoded in, the sample-specific data.

[0020] Determining sample processing workflow data representative of the sample processing workflow to be carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments to process the laboratory sample may comprise determining instructions and / or information associated with the sample processing workflow to be provided to the one or more laboratory instruments. The instructions may be configured to cause the laboratory instruments to carry out one or more steps, which may comprise sample processing steps and / or data processing steps associated with sample processing steps, such as processing of measurement data obtained during the sample processing workflow. The information associated with the sampleprocessing workflow may be configured for use by the laboratory instruments in said data processing steps, for example. For instance, the information associated with the sample processing workflow is indicative of the sample processing workflow and, in particular, may uniquely determine that sample processing workflow. Sample processing workflow data may comprise data indicative of one or more of: the one or more procedures to be performed on the laboratory sample, one or more tests to be performed on the laboratory sample, how to perform the one or more procedures on the laboratory sample, how to perform the one or more tests on the laboratory sample.

[0021] Determining the sample processing workflow data using the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may comprise determining sample processing workflow data that is specific for quality control samples in case it is determined that the laboratory sample is a quality control sample. Determining the sample processing workflow data using the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may comprise determining sample processing workflow data that is default sample processing data and / or sample processing data that is specific for non-quality control samples in case it is determined that the laboratory sample is not a quality control sample.

[0022] According to the present disclosure, the one or more laboratory instruments may be configured to carry out at least a laboratory test, wherein, in particular, carrying out the at least one laboratory test may be part of the sample processing workflow.

[0023] In some examples, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data may indicate that, irrespective of the result of the laboratory test carried out on the laboratory sample, no further tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample and the laboratory test is not to be repeated.

[0024] For instance, in case it is determined, based on the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, that the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data may comprise data indicative of the sample processing workflow being independent of the outcome of the laboratory test, e.g. the value of the results of the laboratory test.

[0025] No further tests being assigned to the laboratory sample does not preclude further tests being performed on the sample. That is, any tests already assigned to the laboratory sample may still be performed, even in case it is determined that no further tests are to be assigned to the sample.Conventional sample processing workflows involve automatically carrying out a check on whether one or more requirements e.g., on a laboratory test result, are fulfilled or not and, based on the outcome of that check, automatically triggering assignment of additional tests and / or repeating of that test to the laboratory sample. This automatic check and trigger are needed when processing subject samples, but are not needed when performing quality control activities. Hence, in the aforementioned examples, the efficiency of the sample processing is increased and consumable (e.g., reagent and QC sample) consumption is decreased, particularly by allowing for reducing resources taken up by the quality control sample.

[0026] The above can be accomplished, for instance, by the sample processing workflow data indicating to entirely skip steps involved in automatically triggering assignment of additional tests and / or repeating of a test, for example by preventing executing rules that are used in triggering the assignment of additional tests and / or repeating of tests. Alternatively, instead of preventing execution of the rules, the rules may be executed, but the outcome of executing the rules may be disregarded, i.e., the assignment of additional tests and / or repeating of the test may be prevented in spite of the outcome of executing the rules indicates that one or more additional tests are to be assigned and / or the laboratory test is to be repeated.

[0027] According to the present disclosure, a first set of rules may be provided that are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample. Herein, the one or more further laboratory tests are also referred to reflex tests. In an example, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate one or more of: that the first set of rules are not to be executed and that, irrespective of an outcome of execution of the rules of the first set of rules, no further tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample and the laboratory test is not to be repeated.

[0028] In some examples, in this case, sample processing workflow data may explicitly specify that the first set of rules are not to be executed. Alternatively, e.g., if the one or more laboratory instruments are configured not to execute the first set of rules by default, the sample processing workflow data may not explicitly specify that the first set of rules are to be executed or not.Optional ly, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is not a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that the first set of rules are to be executed. In some examples, in this case, sample processing workflow data may explicitly specify that the first set of rules are to be executed. Alternatively, e.g., if the one or more laboratory instruments are configured to execute the first set of rules by default, the sample processing workflow data may not explicitly specify whether the first set of rules are to be executed or not.

[0029] In the present disclosure, executing a set of rules may comprise applying the rules to data. This may also be referred to as evaluating the rules. A set of rules executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be carried out may be employed for automatically triggering the assignment of additional tests and / or the repetition (i.e. , rerun) of the laboratory test, depending the result, e.g. the outcome, of the laboratory test. For example, some rules of a set of rules may be selection rules that, when executed, lead to selection of one or more or no additional tests to be assigned and / or lead to a repetition (i.e., re-run) of the test. According to the present disclosure, some rules of a set of rules executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be carried out may be rules executable by the one or more instruments. Alternatively or in addition, according to the present disclosure, some rules of a set of rules may be executable by the first computing device or another computing device, in particular, the workflow, at least for a non-quality control sample, may specify that the first or other computing device execute the rules. In an example, the sample processing workflow data may indicate to entirely skip steps involved in automatically triggering assignment of additional tests and / or repeating of a test, for example by preventing executing rules that are used in triggering the assignment of additional tests and / or repeating of tests.

[0030] In some examples, the one or more laboratory instruments may be configured to carry out at least a laboratory test, as explained above. In an example if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments from the sample tube is independent of the presence of a set of rules, e.g., the first set of rules or a second set of rules, which are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratorytests are to be assigned. In particular, the second set of rules is different from the second set or rules. For example, the second set of rules comprises the first set of rules.

[0031] Optionally, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is not a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments from the sample tube depend on the presence of a set of rules, e.g., the first set of rules or a second set of rules, which are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be assigned.

[0032] Reference is made to the above explanations concerning the set of rules and possibility of assigning / carrying out further tests based on executing the rules.

[0033] In those examples, the presence of the set of rules prompts the one or more instruments to draw a volume of the laboratory sample that is enough to carry out the laboratory test and possible re-runs of that test and / or run of one or more reflex tests. This will increase throughput, as those re-runs and / or run of the one or more reflex tests will not require further drawing of portions of the laboratory sample, has the one or more laboratory instruments have already enough volume to carry out those re-runs and / or the one or more reflex tests. Moreover, in those examples, the drawing of the extra volume for possible re-runs and / or run of the one or more reflex tests is carried out only if needed, e.g., is not carried if the laboratory sample is a quality control sample. This way waste of laboratory sample is reduced.

[0034] According to the present disclosure, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data may indicate that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments from the sample tube is not to comprise a volume of laboratory sample for repeating the laboratory tests and / or carrying out the one or more further laboratory tests.

[0035] This way, in addition to the effects described above, the entire sample volume can be used up, allowing to start with a lower total sample volume and / or use more of the sample volume for the tests.

[0036] In some examples, the one or more laboratory instruments may be configured to carry out at least a laboratory test, as explained above. In an example, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicatethat a result of the laboratory test carried out on the laboratory sample are not to be processed by associating that result with information indicative of whether that result falls within a reference range of values for the laboratory test.

[0037] Optionally, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is not a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory test carried out on the laboratory sample are to be processed by associating that result with information indicative of whether that result falls within the reference range of values for the laboratory test. Conventional sample processing workflow involve automatically associating that result with information indicative of whether that result falls within the reference range of values for the laboratory test and providing information as to whether or not the result falls within said ranges. In case of subject samples, this is beneficial as it helps in identifying pathologies, flagging irregularities, and / or in determining further tests to be assigned. In the aforementioned examples of the method according to the present invention, those steps are omitted for quality control samples, thereby, simplifying the processing of quality control samples and increasing the efficiency of that processing without affecting the quality control activities.

[0038] Similarly to the rules related to assigning further tests or repeating tests, rules may also be in place for associating the result with information indicative of whether that result falls within a reference range of values. For a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data may indicate not executing such rules or disregarding the outcome of executing the rules.

[0039] In an example, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a third set of rules do not have to be executed e.g. by the one or more laboratory instruments and / or the first computing device and / or another computing device, wherein the third set of rules are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to associate the result of the laboratory test with information indicative of whether that result falls within a reference range of values for the laboratory test.

[0040] Thus, for example, for a quality control sample, any steps for associating the result with information indicative of whether the results fall within a range of values can be omitted. In addition, any steps that might be triggered in case it is determined that the result of thelaboratory test with information indicative of whether that result does not fall within a reference range of values for the laboratory test. Accordingly, efficiency can be increased. According to the present disclosure, the one or more laboratory instruments may be configured to carry out at least a laboratory test, as mentioned above. The data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may further be data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject. If, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data may indicate that a result of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments on the laboratory sample is to be stored, e.g., in the one or more instruments and / or in the first computing device, for at least a first amount of time. If, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject, the sample processing workflow may indicate that a result of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments on the laboratory sample is to be stored e.g., in the one or more instruments and / or in the first computing device, for at least a second amount of time, wherein in particular the first amount of time is greater than the second amount of time. This allows for efficiency in data storage. In particular, data related to subject test results may be deleted at the earliest possible time. Quality control-related data, instead, may be stored for longer thereby allowing for more thorough and statically-sig nif leant quality control analyses.

[0041] According to the present disclosure, the one or more laboratory instruments may be configured to carry out at least a laboratory test, as mentioned above. If, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory tests carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments on the laboratory sample is to be provided to a second computing device configured to carry out a quality control analysis involving that result.

[0042] The second computing device may, for example, be the computing device that provided the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample or it may be a different computing device.

[0043] While it may not be possible to process data relating to data from subjects at third-party devices, e.g. due to privacy concerns, this may well be possible for quality control analysis. This may alleviate usage of computing resources at the first computing device and / or thelaboratory instruments. Moreover, quality control may be supervised and / or controlled by third parties. The method described above allows for easily identifying quality control data to be provided to such third parties, making such a process more efficient.

[0044] In some examples, the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may further be data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject. In particular, a fourth set of rules may be provided that are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample. In an example, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject, the sample processing workflow data indicate one or more of: (i) that the fourth set of rules are not to be executed, (ii) that, irrespective of an outcome of execution of the rules of the fourth set of rules, no further tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample and the laboratory test is not to be repeated, and (ill) that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments from the sample tube is independent of the presence of the fourth set of rules. In particular, the first set of rules and the fourth set of rules are disjoint sets. The fourth set of rules may be different from the second set of rules. Moreover, the third set of rules may be comprised in the second set of rules.

[0045] According to the present disclosure, sample processing workflow data indicate one or more of: the one or more procedures to be performed on the laboratory sample, one or more tests to be performed on the laboratory sample, how to perform the one or more procedures on the laboratory sample, how to perform the one or more tests on the laboratory sample. The method of the present disclosure may comprise determining, using the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample, priority data representative of a priority level for the processing of the laboratory sample.

[0046] For example, predetermined rules may be applied for determining the priority level, the rule defining, based on sample information, which priority level to assign to a sample. Priority levels may be represented on a numerical scale, e.g. values or value ranges, or by categories, such as high, medium, and low.

[0047] According to the present disclosure, the priority level may be information for determining an order for processing, by the one or more laboratory instruments, for at least the laboratory sample and a set of other laboratory samples comprising one or more biological sample and / or the priority level is representative of the urgency for processing the laboratory sample.In practice, a quality control sample may have a priority level that is between the priority level of urgent subject, e.g. patient, samples and the priority level of non-urgent subject, e.g. patient, samples, for example. This can ensure that quality control is carried out timely, such that quality issues are found and addressed as early as possible, whilst avoiding that processing of urgent subject, e.g. patient, samples is delayed by the quality control procedure. This way, if the quality control procedure indicates that the results of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more instruments are reliable, the results of the laboratory test on the urgent subject samples are already available and can be provided to the doctor without delays. Moreover, non-urgent subject samples have a lower priority than QC samples and hence are processed after the QC sample and only if the quality control procedure indicates that the results of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more instruments are reliable. This way, waste of consumables such as reagents is reduced. According to the present disclosure, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the priority level is such that the laboratory sample has higher priority than a first subset of the set of the set of other laboratory samples and lower priority than a second subset of the set of other laboratory samples.

[0048] As explained above, this may, for example, allow for urgent subject, e.g. patient, samples not being delayed by quality control procedures, the urgent subject, e.g. samples being in the second subset of other laboratory samples, while also allowing to catch quality problems early by prioritizing quality control over non-urgent subject, e.g. patient, samples, which would be included in the first subset.

[0049] According to the present disclosure, the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample may comprise: (I) an indicator indicating that the sample is a quality control sample or an indicator that the sample is not a quality control sample and / or (II) a processing specification associated with a quality control sample or a processing specification associated with a non-quality control sample.

[0050] Processing specifications may be specifications representative of processing steps to perform on the sample as part of the sample processing workflow. As will be understood from the discussion above, in the present disclosure, the sample processing workflow for quality control samples may be different from a sample processing workflow for samples that are not quality control samples (also referred to as non-quality control samples). Sample processing specifications may not necessarily be sample specific, but apply to all quality control samples or non-quality control samples, respectively. Accordingly, quality control samples may have different processing specifications than non-quality control samples. Forexample, first processing specifications may be associated with quality control samples, and second processing specifications that are different from the first processing specifications may be provided for non-quality control samples. Thus the processing specifications, as such, may also be seen as representative of whether or not a sample is a quality control sample.

[0051] As already explained above, there are different examples of how the first computing device may obtain the data representative of whether the sample is a quality control sample. Some examples are provided below.

[0052] According to the present disclosure, obtaining the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample comprises receiving, at the first computing device, a data transmission from a second computing device, the data transmission comprising the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample.

[0053] For example, the data transmission may be initiated by the second computing device, particularly in a push-type transmission. Alternatively, the data transmission may be initiated by the first computing device, for example by transmitting a query to the second computing device, e.g. a pull-type transmission. A data transmission may be initiated by the first computing device in response to obtaining the sample-specific data from the indicium, e.g. in response to processing a label of a sample tube.

[0054] According to the present disclosure, the method may comprise transmitting a query from the first computing device to the second computing device, the query comprising data comprising and / or derived from at least part of the sample-specific data. The data transmission may comprise a query response and may be received in response to the query transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device.

[0055] The second computing device may determine whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample on the basis of the data comprised in the query and optionally further data available to the second computing device and unavailable to the first computing device. In some cases, not the entire sample-specific data will be required to determine whether or not a sample is a quality control sample. Accordingly, it may be sufficient to provide only part of said data to the second computing device. For example, in case the sample-specific data comprises an identifier and additional information, it may be sufficient to provide the identifier. It may also be sufficient to provide data derived, e.g., extracted, from the samplespecific data. For example, an identifier may encode information that is not required for determining whether the sample is a quality control sample, such as a batch number. In this case, the identifier may be processed to extract only the information required for determiningwhether the sample is a quality control sample. Sending only parts of the sample-specific data and / or derived data may allow for reduced bandwidth requirements for data transmission and also for avoiding leakage of potentially sensitive information. The use of a query or pull-type communication may be advantageous in scenarios where dataflow is to be kept to a minimum, as only information that is actually needed will be provided by the second computing device.

[0056] According to the present disclosure, the data transmission may comprise a notification, e.g. a push notification, which is provided from the second computing device to the first computing device, in particular without the first computing device requesting the data transmission, e.g. in absence of a query from the first computing device. This may be advantageous in case there is a risk that data communication between the first and second device may not be reliable ensured. In a query-type scenario, this could cause delays, whereas in a push-type scenario, information may be provided in advance when a connection is available.

[0057] Exemplarily, the method may comprise determining, at the second computing device, whether or not the sample is a quality control sample, in particular by using identification data identifying the laboratory sample. The identification data may, for example, be received in the above-described query from the first computing device. In an example, the identification data may be comprised in or derived from the sample-specific data.

[0058] The method may comprise determining, by the first or second computing device, the identification data from the sample-specific data.

[0059] As mentioned above, the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample may comprise a processing specification. The second computing device may optionally determine the processing specification and provide it to the first computing device, for example alternatively or in addition to an indicator indicating that the sample is a quality control sample or an indicator that the sample is not a quality control sample.

[0060] According to the present disclosure, obtaining the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample may comprise retrieving the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample from a data storage accessible to, in particular comprised in or external from, the first computing device.

[0061] The method of the present disclosure may comprise causing the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sample processing workflow. In particular, causing the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sample processing workflow may comprise initiating the processing of the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sampleprocessing workflow. For instance, causing the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sample processing workflow may comprise instructing the one or more laboratory instruments to process. Causing the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sample processing workflow may comprise processing, e.g., by the one or more laboratory instruments, the laboratory sample according to the sample processing workflow. In particular, the sample processing workflow data and / or instructions derived therefrom may be used by the laboratory instruments to carry out the sample processing workflow on the sample.

[0062] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computing device, comprising a processor configured to carry out the steps of the method according to the present disclosure, as described hereinabove and hereinbelow.

[0063] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to system comprising the computing device. The computing device comprises the first computing device and the system comprises one or more laboratory instruments. The system may further comprise a read-out device configured to acquire the sample-specific read-out data representative from an indicium of a sample tube comprising a laboratory sample.

[0064] A computing device, according to the present disclosure, may comprise at least one memory and at least one processor. A computing device may also comprise one or more input / output units. A computing device may be a single device or comprise multiple devices, such as in a distributed processing system. For example, according to the present disclosure, a computing device may be any type of data processing device, such as a smartphone, a desktop computer, a server, a server network, a cloud computing network, or the like.

[0065] According to the present disclosure, a computing device may include one or more processors for data processing and at least one data storage for storing data, such as data representing the health states, the first numeric vectors, the input data, such as clinical report or patient record, or the like.

[0066] Alternatively or additionally, a computer program or software instructions may be stored on the data storage, which, when executed by one or more processors of the computing device, instructs the processing system (computing device) to perform steps of the method according to the present disclosure, as described hereinabove and hereinbelow.

[0067] Optionally, the computing device may comprise at least one communication circuitry or interface for communicatively coupling the computing device to one or more external data sources that may optionally store data.The computing device or the system of the present disclosure may further comprise a second computing device, the second computing device configured to determine whether the laboratory sample is a quality control sample or not, wherein, in particular, the second computing device is separate from, particularly remote with respect to, the first computing device and / or the one or more laboratory instruments.

[0068] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product, which, when the program is executed by a computing system, e.g. by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to carry out the steps of the method according to the present disclosure, as described hereinabove and hereinbelow.

[0069] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable medium, e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing instructions, such as a computer program, which, when executed by a computing system, e.g. by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to carry out the steps of the method according to the present disclosure, as described hereinabove and hereinbelow.

[0070] Features and advantages described herein in the context of the method apply accordingly also to the computer program product, computer-implemented method, the computing device and the system of the present disclosure.

[0071] These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the appended figures, which may represent exemplary embodiments. The subject-matter of the present disclosure will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to examples and embodiments of the present disclosure which are illustrated in the attached drawings, wherein:

[0072] Fig. 1 shows a system according to the present disclosure; and

[0073] Fig. 2 shows a flowchart illustrating a method according to the present disclosure.

[0074] The figures are schematic only and not true to scale.

[0075] The present disclosure provides a computing device 100 configured to carry out the method of the present disclosure. The computing device will be described below in the context of a system according to the present disclosure.

[0076] Figure 1 shows an example of how a system 1 according to the present disclosure, comprising the computing device 100 may be configured. It is to be understood that otherconfigurations are also possible. As an illustrative example, the computing device 100 may comprise a processing circuitry 110 or control circuitry 110 with one or more processors 112 for data processing. The computing device 100 further comprises at least one data storage 120 for storing data.

[0077] In this illustrative example, the computing device 100 further comprises at least one communication circuitry or interface 130 for communicatively coupling the computing device 100 to other computing devices and / or one or more external data sources 200 that may optionally store data and / or provide data to the computing device 100. The communication circuitry or interface 130 may be configured for wired or wireless communication with the other computing devices and / or at least one external data source 200. It should be noted that the computing device 100 may comprise a plurality of communication circuits or interfaces 130 for communicatively coupling the computing device 100 to a plurality of different other computing devices and / or external data sources 200.

[0078] The one or more external data sources 200 may for example be associated with one or more external servers communicatively coupled to the computing device 100, for example via the Internet, a LAN connection, a wireless connection or a wired connection. For example, the computing device 100 may be communicatively couplable to a hospital information system, a laboratory information system, a server of a health care provider, or any other server. Optionally, the computing device 100 may be configured to obtain, e.g., retrieve data, from a data source external to the computing device 100.

[0079] The computing device 100 may include a user interface 140 for receiving one or more user inputs, the user interface being or comprising a user input device 140a. For instance, input data may be provided to the computing device 100 via the user interface 140, particularly via the user input device 140a. The user interface 140 may be configured to provide or output information to a user, for example via a display portion 140b of a display device.

[0080] The computing device 100 may be the first computing device as described hereabove and herebelow.

[0081] The system may also comprise a second computing device 300, which may be configured, for example, as described in the context of the computing device 100. The first and second computing device may be communicatively coupled, e.g. for exchanging queries, query responses and / or push messages, for example via their respective communication circuitry or interface. The second computing device 300 may be separate from, particularly remote with respect to, the first computing device and / or the one or more laboratory instruments.The system may also comprise one or more laboratory instruments 400. The computing device 100 may be operatively connected with the one or more laboratory instruments 400. Optionally, not shown here, the computing device may be integrally formed with one of the laboratory instruments.

[0082] The system may also comprise a read-out device 500, which is shown as separate component here but may optionally be integrally formed with the computing device 100 and / or one of the one or more laboratory instruments 400. The read-out device is configured to acquire the sample-specific data from an indicium of a sample tube comprising a laboratory sample, e.g. by optical read-out or NFC read-out from an indicium, such as a label, attached to a sample tube (not shown).

[0083] The system 1 and, in particular, the computing device 100 may be configured to carry out the method according to the present disclosure.

[0084] Figure 2 shows a flow chart illustrating a method, for example computer-implemented method for determining a sample processing workflow, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may, for example, be carried out by the system 1 and / or the computing device 100, as described with reference to Figure 1, or by other suitable systems or computing devices.

[0085] Step S11 comprises obtaining, by a first computing device, sample-specific data from an indicium, such as a QR or barcode or NFC tag, of a sample tube comprising a laboratory sample. The sample specific are representative of the laboratory sample, and the first computing device is operatively connected with one or more laboratory instruments for biological sample processing.

[0086] For example, a user may present a laboratory sample tube of a QC sample with an indicium, are exemplarily a barcode, to the read-out device of the system, so that the read-out device may read out the indicium. Reading information from the barcode yields sample-specific data. Known read-out technologies for barcodes may be used. Alternatively, the sample tube may be presented automatically e.g., by using a laboratory automation system such as DxA 5000, to the read-out device. In particular, the read-out device and the first computing device may be integrated in one of the one or more laboratory instruments.

[0087] Step S12 comprises obtaining, based on and / or from the sample-specific data, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample. This step may comprise retrieving the data from a data storage accessible to the first computing device or receiving the data from another computing device, for example the second computing device described above, as will be explained in more detail below. In particular,the second computing device may store and run a middleware computer program. The middleware computer program may comprise instructions which, when executed by a processor of the second computing device, cause that device to provide, e.g., send, the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample to the first computing device.

[0088] The data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample may comprise an indicator indicating that the sample is a quality control sample or an indicator that the sample is not a quality control sample and / or a processing specification associated with a quality control sample or a processing specification associated with a non-quality control sample, which is different from that associated with the quality control sample. In an example, step S12 of obtaining the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample comprises receiving, at the first computing device, a data transmission from a second computing device S12b. In particular, the data transmission comprises the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample. For example, the data transmission may be generated and / or provided by the second computing device. Alternatively or in addition, obtaining, based on and / or from the samplespecific data, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample may comprise transmitting a query from the first computing device to the second computing device S12a. In particular, the query comprises data comprising and / or derived from at least part of the sample-specific data. Receiving, at the first computing device, a data transmission from the second computing device S12b may comprise receiving a query response from the second computing device in response to the query transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device (step S12a).

[0089] In some examples, in particular where the second computing device provides the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample to the first computing device, the method may comprise determining, at the second computing device, whether or not the sample is a quality control sample S15. This determination is in particular carried out by using identification data identifying the laboratory sample. The identification data may be received from the first computing device, for example as part of a query. In particular, the middleware computer running on the second computing device may comprise instructions which, when executed by a processor of the second computing device, cause that device to provide, e.g., send, the data transmission to the first computing device in response to the query transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device.The method further comprises determining, by the first computing device and using the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample for the one or more laboratory instruments, sample processing workflow data S13. The processing workflow data are representative of a sample processing workflow to be carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments to process the laboratory sample. The sample processing workflow data may, for example, indicate one or more procedures to be performed on the laboratory sample and / or one or more tests to be performed on the laboratory sample and / or how to perform the one or more procedures on the laboratory sample and / or how to perform the one or more tests on the laboratory sample.

[0090] The one or more laboratory instruments are configured to carry out at least a laboratory test, e.g. as part of the sample processing workflow.

[0091] In an example, in case the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that, irrespective of the value of the results of the laboratory test carried out on the laboratory sample, no further tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample and the laboratory test is not to be repeated. For example, there may be a set of rules that are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be carried out. In case the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that the set of rules are not to be executed.

[0092] In another example, in case, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicates that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments from the sample tube is independent of the presence of a set of rules which are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be carried out. For example, in case the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments from the sample tube is not to comprise a volume of laboratory sample for repeating the laboratory tests and / or carrying out the one or more further laboratory tests.

[0093] In another example, in case the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory test carried out on the laboratory sample are not to be processed by associating that result with information indicative of whether that result falls within a reference range of values for the laboratory test. For example, in case the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a set of rules, executable after the laboratory test hasbeen carried out to associate the result of the laboratory test with information indicative of whether that result falls within a reference range of values for the laboratory test, do not have to be evaluated.

[0094] In another example, the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample are further data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject. In case the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments on the laboratory sample is to be stored for at least a first amount of time. In case the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject, the sample processing workflow indicates that a result of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments on the laboratory sample is to be stored for at least a second amount of time. The first amount of time is greater than the second amount of time. In another example, in case the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory tests carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments on the laboratory sample is to be provided to a second computing device configured to carry out a quality control analysis involving that result. The method may optionally comprise, determining, using the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample, priority data S14. The priority data are representative of a priority level for the processing of the laboratory sample. The priority level may be used for determining an order for processing, by the one or more laboratory instruments, for at least the laboratory sample and a set of other laboratory samples comprising one or more biological sample. The priority level may, alternatively or in addition, be representative of the urgency for processing the laboratory sample. For example, if, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the priority level may be such that the laboratory sample has higher priority than a first subset of the set of the set of other laboratory samples and lower priority than a second subset of the set of other laboratory samples. For example, the priority level of a quality control sample may be higher than that of standard biological samples from subjects and lower than that of urgent biological samples from subjects.

[0095] Optionally, the method may comprise causing the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sample processing workflow S16. In particular, causing the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sample processing workflow comprises instructing the one or more laboratory instruments to process the laboratory sample according to the sample processing workflow. For example, the laboratory instruments may process the sample in accordance with the sample processing workflow. Optionally, the methos maycomprise sending the priority data to the one or more laboratory instruments. In this case, the laboratory sample may be processed by the one or more instruments according to the priority data.

[0096] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art and practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

[0097] In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for determining a sample processing workflow, comprising: obtaining (S11 ), by a first computing device (100), sample-specific data from an indicium of a sample tube comprising a laboratory sample, the sample specific data being representative of the laboratory sample, wherein the first computing device (100) is operatively connected with one or more laboratory instruments (400) for biological sample processing; obtaining (S12), based on and / or from the sample-specific data, data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample;determining (S13), by the first computing device (100) and using the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample for the one or more laboratory instruments (400), sample processing workflow data representative of a sample processing workflow to be carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments (400) to process the laboratory sample.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more laboratory instruments (400) are configured to carry out at least a laboratory test and wherein a set of rules are executable after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample,wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate one or more of: that the set of rules are not to be executed by the one or more laboratory instruments (400) and that, irrespective of an outcome of execution of the rules of the set of rules, no further tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample and the laboratory test is not to be repeated.

3. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more laboratory instruments (400) are configured to carry out at least a laboratory test, wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments (400) from the sample tube is independent of the presence of a set of rules which are executable by the one or more instruments (400) after the laboratory test has been carried out to determine whether the laboratory test is to be repeated and / or one or more further laboratory tests are to be assigned to the laboratory sample.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that the volume of laboratory sample drawn by the one or more laboratory instruments (400) from the sample tube is not to comprise a volume of laboratory sample for repeating the laboratory tests and / or carrying out the one or more further laboratory tests.

5. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more laboratory instruments (400) are configured to carry out at least a laboratory test,wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory test carried out on the laboratory sample are not to be processed by associating that result with information indicative of whether that result falls within a reference range of values for the laboratory test.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a set of rules do not have to be executed, the set of rules being executable by the one or more instruments (400) after the laboratory test has been carried out to associate the result of the laboratory test with information indicative of whether that result falls within a reference range of values for the laboratory test.

7. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more laboratory instruments (400) are configured to carry out at least a laboratory test,wherein the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample are further data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject,wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments (400) on the laboratory sample is to be stored for at least a first amount of time,wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a biological sample of a subject, the sample processing workflow indicates that a result of the laboratory test carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments (400) on the laboratory sample is to be stored for at least a second amount of time,wherein in particular the first amount of time is greater than the second amount of time.

8. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more laboratory instruments (400) are configured to carry out at least a laboratory test,wherein if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample the sample processing workflow data indicate that a result of the laboratory tests carried out by the one or more laboratory instruments (400) on the laboratory sample is to be provided to a second computing device configured to carry out a quality control analysis involving that result.

9. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sample processing workflow data indicate one or more of:one or more procedures to be performed on the laboratory sample,one or more tests to be performed on the laboratory sample,how to perform the one or more procedures on the laboratory sample,how to perform the one or more tests on the laboratory sample.

10. The method of any of the preceding claims, the method further comprising, determining (S14), using the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample, priority data representative of a priority level for the processing of the laboratory sample.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the priority level is for determining an order for processing, by the one or more laboratory instruments (400), for at least the laboratory sample and a set of other laboratory samples comprising one or more biological sample and / or the priority level is representative of the urgency for processing the laboratory sample.1 . The method of claim 10 or 11 , wherein, if, according to the data representative of whether or not the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the laboratory sample is a quality control sample, the priority level is such that the laboratory sample has higher prioritythan a first subset of the set of the set of other laboratory samples and lower priority than a second subset of the set of other laboratory samples.

13. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample comprises:an indicator indicating that the sample is a quality control sample or an indicator that the sample is not a quality control sample and / ora processing specification associated with a quality control sample or a processing specification associated with a non-quality control sample.

14. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein obtaining (S12) the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample comprises receiving (S12b), at the first computing device (100), a data transmission from a second computing device (300), the data transmission comprising the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample,15. The method of claim 14,wherein the method comprises transmitting a query (S12a) from the first computing device (100) to the second computing device (300), the query comprising data comprising and / or derived from at least part of the sample-specific data, andwherein the data transmission comprises a query response and is received in response to the query transmitted from the first computing device (100) to the second computing device (300).

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data transmission comprises a notification provided from the second computing device (300) to the first computing device (100).

17. The method of any of claims 14 to 16, the method further comprising determining (S15), at the second computing device (300), whether or not the sample is a quality control sample, in particular by using identification data identifying the laboratory sample18. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein obtaining the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample comprises retrieving the data representative of whether or not the sample is a quality control sample from a data storage accessible to, in particular comprised in or external from, the first computing device.

19. The method of any of the preceding claims, comprising causing (S16) the laboratory sample to be processed according to the sample processing workflow.

20. A computing device (100), comprising a processor configured to carry out the method of any of claims 1 to 19.

21. A system (1 ) comprising the computing device (100) of claim 20,wherein the computing device comprises the first computing device (100) and the system (1 ) comprises one or more laboratory instruments (400), andfurther comprising a read-out device (500) configured to acquire the sample-specific data from an indicium of a sample tube comprising a laboratory sample.

22. The device of claim 20 or system of claim 21 , further comprising a second computing device (300), the second computing device (300) configured to determine whether the laboratory sample is a quality control sample or not, wherein, in particular the second computing device (300) is separate from, particularly remote with respect to, the first computing device (100) and / or the one or more laboratory instruments (400).

23. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to carry out the method of any of claims 1 to 19.

24. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when the program is executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to carry out the method of any of claims 1 to 19.

Images