The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) has recently published a new proposed-level guideline. Specimen Labels: Content and Location, Fonts, and Label Orientation; Proposed Standard (AUTO12-P) identifies the required human-readable elements to appear on specimen labels and specifies the exact locations, fonts, and font sizes of these elements.

With some exceptions such as slides and pediatric specimens that have limited label space, this standard is applicable to all laboratory specimens from the point of collection, including all transfers of specimens from one provider to another. The standard was developed to reduce the unacceptably high incidence of mislabeled specimens in clinical laboratories, ensuring higher quality of reporting and faster delivery of results.

The proposed document is made available for review and comment to achieve broad consensus so an approved document can be distributed for use to the health care community. This review is intended to ensure the utility and readability of CLSI's approved consensus documents. Any comments received on a document as a result of CLSI member delegate voting and review will be addressed by the committee during the document's advancement.