We do not perform all laboratory tests in our own laboratory; less frequently requested parameters are outsourced to selected laboratories. These tests are marked with “ ” in the service catalog (as of the date of publication) and in the report (as of the date of report creation). If an outsourced test is performed, we ensure the best possible pre-analytical preparation before shipment and, for example, indicate the necessary handling procedures in this catalog. We strive for the shortest possible transport and analysis times during shipment. The name and address of the external laboratories can be provided upon request.

Explanations for the double-sided DIN A4 form (red)

The double-sided machine-readable form is divided into various diagnostic questions and organ systems. Please make all markings and entries on it in pencil only! For a marking, a clear line should be drawn within the border of the corresponding small rectangle.

If the request requires urgent processing, please mark the red "URGENT!" box. Marks for notification by telephone or fax are indicated below. If the telephone or fax number for transmitting results differs from the number we have on file, you can enter a number valid only for this request under "No.:".

In the material section below, the date and time of sample collection should be entered. A corresponding mark should be made below for each type of sample submitted. Please remember to enter the swab location for smears, the puncture site for aspirates, and the volume collected for 24-hour urine collection.

In the lower half of the front of the form and on the back, the required material for each test is listed in the same line, right-aligned in red, as an abbreviation. The explanation of the material abbreviations can be found in the material section and next to the time of collection. A "/" means "or" (e.g., S/U = serum or urine), and a "+" means "and" (S+L = serum and cerebrospinal fluid). A "-" separates the material types when two tests are listed on one line and different materials are required for them.

In the "Serology" section, there are two columns for marking different questions: the left, lighter column should be used to indicate if a recent infection is suspected; the right, darker column is for determining existing immunity or determining an antibody titer. Depending on the marked column, the appropriate antibodies (in cases of questionable immunity, usually IgG) are measured. Independent of the two indication-related marking columns, specific tests can be requested for certain infections (e.g., hepatitis, syphilis) by selecting the corresponding columns.

Instructions for the laboratory marking cards:

You will receive neutral marking cards from us (without physician or patient numbers). Mark the requested parameters in the corresponding field using a soft pencil. Additional writing with a name or number on the barcode label or the marking card will prevent machine reading.

• Year of birth: Mark the tens and ones digits for those born in 1900; for those born in 2000 or later, please also mark "2000".
• When requesting creatinine clearance or tests from a 24-hour urine collection, please enter the corresponding information (height, weight, volume collected) in the fields provided in the lower left corner of the card.
• Do not mark the fields with letters (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H).
• Please affix all barcode labels vertically (the barcode must be readable from any angle along its entire length).

If the telephone or fax number for transmitting results for urgent orders differs from the number we already have on file, please provide us with a separate sheet containing a phone or fax number valid only for this order.

Instructions for the Barcode Labels

Each submitter will receive individual sets of adhesive labels from us, each containing 15 labels with the same patient number. These will be provided either on a "Pat ID" patient identification label roll or on a DIN A4 sheet with 16 labels per patient for a total of 4 patients, i.e., two lines per patient. Please affix the "card" or "form" label to the corresponding field on the laboratory order form, and the corresponding label to each sample tube.

Please affix a barcode with the same number to all materials (identification card, referral slip, request form, sample tubes, microbiological swab) for each patient. It is essential that the labels are affixed in portrait orientation (the physician and patient numbers must be legible) and perfectly vertically. If the barcode label is applied at an angle, the reader on the analyzer cannot correctly recognize the label (see also chapter "Note on the gel monovette for serum separation").

When referring a patient to a laboratory under the principle of free choice of physician, the patient's consent is required if the samples are transmitted along with their name and personal data. It violates medical confidentiality if a physician commissions a laboratory and the patient only learns of this later, for example, through the laboratory bill addressed to them. This disclosure to the laboratory is not covered by the treatment contract or any "presumed consent." We therefore ask you to keep the patient's written consent in your patient records.

Patient consent is required for the performance of specific laboratory parameters (e.g., HIV diagnostics, certain genetic tests).

Measurement uncertainty is a parameter associated with the measurement result that characterizes the variation in values ​​that can be attributed to the measured quantity.

All measurements are subject to various systematic and random influencing factors. These include pre-analytical factors such as acceptance conditions and sample storage, as well as analytical factors such as reagent effects, instrument effects, environmental conditions, etc. These can cause deviations in the measurement result, so that the determined results for the same sample vary around the true value.

Measurement uncertainty results from experimentally determined and/or estimated uncertainties. As part of method validation and quality control, measurement uncertainty data for all quantitative parameters are continuously documented and updated.

Measurement uncertainty is not usually stated on the report. However, information on measurement uncertainty can be provided upon request.