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What is a Subject?

A subject is the person being tested — a patient, donor, or other individual. Subjects are the top level of the data hierarchy in bLIS. All accessions, samples, test orders, and results are organized under a subject. Each subject has a unique case ID that serves as the primary identifier throughout the system.

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Data Hierarchy

Subjects are the top level of the data hierarchy. All other records belong to a subject:
The patient or donor being tested. Identified by a unique case ID.A subject can have multiple accessions over time, creating a longitudinal testing history.
Each accession is a batch of test orders for a specific point in time.One subject → Many accessions (collected over time)
Each accession contains:
  • Samples — Biological materials (blood, urine, etc.)
  • Test Orders — Specific tests to perform, each linked to a sample
Samples and test orders are siblings within the accession.
Each test order produces one or more results.Results are the measured values or findings from the test.

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Key Fields

FieldDescription
Case IDThe primary unique identifier for the subject (required, unique across the system)
Date of BirthUsed for identification and age-based reference ranges
SexUsed for sex-specific reference ranges
TypeSubject type (typically “donor” for transplant testing)
Additional IDsCustom identifiers like Medical Record Number, UNOS ID, or other organization-specific IDs
Depending on your lab’s configuration, additional identifiers may be available such as UNOS ID (for organ transplant cases) or other custom identifiers.

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Subject History

bLIS maintains a complete history for each subject, including:
  • All accessions — Every test batch associated with this subject
  • Result history — All past test results, useful for tracking trends over time
  • Sample records — All samples collected from this subject across all accessions
This history is valuable for longitudinal tracking and for comparing new results against prior values.

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Searching for Subjects

You can search for subjects using any of their identifiers:
  • Name (full or partial)
  • Date of birth
  • Medical record number
  • Case ID
When creating a new accession, bLIS will search for matching subjects as you type. If a match is found, you can link to the existing record rather than creating a duplicate.

Accessions

See how subjects are linked to accessions.

Samples

Learn about samples collected from subjects.