Sample collection, storage, shipment, receipt, and documentation

2 Sample collection, storage, shipment, receipt, and documentation 

The field phase of an LSMBS is critically important. Close monitoring of shoppers by field phase study management personnel is required, especially when a sampling plan includes frequent collections, such as weekly or bimonthly. Missed, delayed, or deficient commodity samples can throw a laboratory off schedule, which in turn can adversely affect both the timeliness and the quality of the analyses. Missed, delayed, or deficient samples can also affect the study outcome and interpretation, because a statistical design typically requires a certain number of data points, each represented by analysis of a commodity sample. 

Communication among all individuals involved in an LSMBS is crucial. Lines of communication must be clearly defined and must be in place well before the study is initiated. Therefore, lines of communication between the persons who collect and ship commodities, the field phase managemenf sfudy personnel, fhe analytical laboratories, and overall study management must all be clearly established prior to study initiation. This delineation of the lines of communication must include oral and written communication, including the transmittal of raw data such as sample collection logs and chain of custody forms. 

Upon receipt at the analytical laboratory, the receiving department should immediately examine the integrity of the samples. If a sample is damaged, or its integrity is in any way questionable, or it does not meet the protocol definition (e.g., leaf rather than head lettuce), then a re-shop should be ordered (i.e., the shopper is required 

Adequate pre-shop provision, thorough training, and strict oversight of the shoppers, as described above, were critical to the successful execution of the sample collection phase of the OPMBS. Each shopper received a kit containing sample labels and containers to hold the sampled commodities, ice packs and packaging materials, labels and boxes for use in shipping the collected commodities, written instructions, and forms well before the scheduled date of collection. The sample coordinator monitored sample collection and advised shoppers of actions to take when problems inevitably arose. 

---