This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
Entities that are obtained (usually from patients) for examination or analysis
384744003
Specimen concepts can be defined by attributes which specify the:
Normal or abnormal body structure from which they are obtained
Procedure used to collect the specimen
Source from which it was collected
Substance of which it is comprised
The Fully Specified Name for Specimen concepts should include the term specimen, not sample. This also applies to descriptions in other hierarchies in addition to the Specimen hierarchy.
Because of the differentiation between specimen and sample in some domains (e.g., biobanking), an additional description using the word sample should not be added to the specimen concept.
A combined specimen refers to more than one specimen taken from the same subject and combined in a single container to form a single specimen. A pooled specimen refers to specimens taken from multiple subjects and pooled (mixed) together into a single container. SNOMED CT concepts will include the appropriate term in the FSN and will not treat combined specimen and pooled specimen as synonymous.
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
When authoring in this domain, these are the approved attributes and allowable ranges.
Domain Constraint
<< 123038009 | Specimen (specimen) |
Parent Domain
-
Proximal Primitive Constraint
<< 123038009 | Specimen (specimen) |
Proximal Primitive Refinement
-
118171006 | Specimen procedure (attribute) |
1
0..*
0..1
<< 71388002 | Procedure (procedure) |
118170007 | Specimen source identity (attribute) |
1
0..*
0..1
<< 125676002 | Person (person) | OR << 133928008 | Community (social concept) | OR << 260787004 | Physical object (physical object) | OR << 276339004 | Environment (environment) | OR << 35359004 | Family (social concept) |
118168003 | Specimen source morphology (attribute) |
1
0..*
0..1
<< 49755003 | Morphologically abnormal structure (morphologic abnormality) |
118169006 | Specimen source topography (attribute) |
1
0..*
0..1
<< 442083009 | Anatomical or acquired body structure (body structure) |
370133003 | Specimen substance (attribute) |
1
0..*
0..1
<< 105590001 | Substance (substance) | OR << 260787004 | Physical object (physical object) | OR << 373873005 | Pharmaceutical / biologic product (product) |
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
The following defining attributes correspond to the Specimen Attributes Summary table.
Specimen source identity specifies the type of individual, group, or physical location from which a specimen is collected.
For example,
419695002 | Environmental swab (specimen)| has the Specimen source identity, Environment (environment)
Specimen source morphology specifies the morphologic abnormality from which a specimen is obtained.
For example,
447407009 | Specimen from necrotic tissue (specimen)| has the Specimen source morphology, Necrosis (morphologic abnormality)
Specimen source topography specifies the body site from which a specimen is obtained.
For example,
16209771000119101 | Specimen from left lower lobe of lung obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage procedure (specimen)| has the Specimen source topography, Segment of lower lobe of left lung (body structure)
Specimen procedure identifies the procedure by which a specimen is obtained.
For example,
384744003 | Lymph node from sentinel lymph node dissection and axillary dissection (specimen)| has the Specimen procedure, Dissection procedure (procedure)
Specimen substance specifies the type of substance, pharmaceutical/biologic product, or physical object of which a specimen is comprised.
For example,
110897001 | Bone marrow cytological material (specimen)| has the Specimen substance, Bone marrow fluid (substance)