Custom Labels Speeds Up Tests in Diagnostic Lab

One of our clients is a large regional hospital with a renowned oncology department.

It was considered important that the tests sent to the lab from cancer patients get priority handling so the labels are color coded to make them stand out from the other test samples that would be in process at the same time.

The client wanted the oncology labels to be pink and the initial thought was to simply floodcoat the complete label with the specified colour. The label is designed in 3 parts, to work with the data provided from the hospital’s Meditech system.

One concern was how well the barcodes on the test vials would read when scanned in the diagnostic equipment. Initial tests looked good, but it was discovered that some of the older equipment (maybe with less than perfect barcode scan heads) would sometimes fail to read the barcode.

As a result, we designed a custom label with a white area for the barcode. Now, when the label is printed from Meditech, the nurse applies the main part of the label to the vial and the other parts are used elsewhere.

When the vial is loaded to the diagnostic equipment in the lab, the improved contrast for the barcode ensures that it is scanned correctly and the patient’s results obtained with no delay.

Since WincoID started in the label business (way back in 1980), we’ve specialized in finding creative and elegant solutions for all kinds of labeling problems – this is one of many labels we have specially designed to work well in Meditech environments. How can we help you?