Procedure and assembly for drawing blood

A method for taking specimen samples from patients, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a portable device having the following components:
• an onboard printer;
• an onboard computer containing stored patient identification information and specimen sample testing instructions keyed to said patient identification information;
• an onboard supply of blank labels for said printer to print information on;
• and an onboard scanner means operably connected to said computer, for transmitting patient identity information of said computer;
• all of said components being housed in a single portable container;
• b) providing a patient tag having disposed thereon machine readable indicia containing said patient identity information which identifies the patient to whom the tag was issued;
• c) scanning said machine readable indicia at the time the specimen sample is taken to transmit said patient identity information to said onboard computer;
• d) creating a specimen sample container label by printing with said printer the patient identification information and the specimen sample test instructions on a blank label taken from said supply thereof, said identification information and test instructions being keyed to the patient identity information input from said scanning step;
• said supply of blank labels providing the primary source of specimen sample container labels for affixation to specimen sample containers;
• and
• e) attaching said printed specimen sample container label to a specimen sample container for the first time at the time the patient specimen is taken.