The FT-IR confidence level field is an integer, not a percentage range or a free-text interpretation. That's a deliberate choice that forces analysts to commit to a numeric certainty score rather than hedging with language like "likely consistent." In a drug checking context, the difference between FT-IR confidence at 78 versus 94 can change the entire harm reduction conversation with the client who's about to use that sample.
What the Chain Breaks Down Without a Record
Drug checking programs handle samples that are presumed to be one thing and sometimes turn out to be another. The gap between "presumed substance" and confirmed identity is exactly where harm happens. Without a structured record per sample, services are running on memory and handwritten shorthand that can't be aggregated, searched, or used for batch surveillance.
When a harm incident gets reported downstream — a hospitalization, an overdose cluster — harm reduction services need to trace backward to the samples that were tested in the same period, from the same source, with the same visual profile. A free-text log cannot do that. The "Batch is associated with any harm incident" boolean plus the "Has the client used this batch before" field give you a rapid filter: pull every sample where that boolean is true, cross-reference with the Presumed Substance text and the Colour field, and you have your incident linkage within seconds.
The sample numbering system, once consistent, also gives you a timeline artifact. When the Ehrlich result from sample 847 doesn't match the expected indole-positive reaction for the presumed substance, and sample 849 from two days later gives the same unexpected result, that's a pattern that only surfaces if you've maintained sequential records with consistent field completion.
The Three-Layer Testing Protocol in One Record
The template separates testing modalities into distinct sections: droplet tests (Ehrlich reagent), strip tests (Fentanyl and Nitazene), and FT-IR spectroscopy. Running these as separate subheaders within a single record isn't just organizational tidiness — it's a data integrity practice.
Ehrlich is a colorimetric presumptive test. Its result is a color description — purple, orange, no reaction — which is why the field is free text rather than a structured choice. Different analysts will describe the same reaction with different vocabulary, which is a weakness, but the reagent comments field allows for inter-analyst annotation. The critical thing is that the Ehrlich result and the FT-IR initial analysis both live in the same record, alongside the FT-IR confidence level, so the degree to which the two methods agree or diverge is visible in one view.
The Spec Laptop Name radio field (Alphie, Bruker, Chloe, Delta) is a device-tracking mechanism — specific spectroscopy equipment assigned to specific operators or locations within the service. When a systematic calibration drift or error is identified on one unit, you can filter the entire sample database by that machine name and flag every result where the FT-IR was run on the affected device. That's a recall process, not a manual review.
The "Contains binder/filler/colouring" three-option radio (Yes / No / Testing inconclusive) matters because pressed tablet adulterants affect both the visual profile and the reagent test results. A sample with heavy filler content that returns a weak Ehrlich reaction may look like a low-purity result when it's actually a dilution artifact. Flagging the binder presence as a distinct data point separates the analytical finding from the interpretation.
The Substance-as-Presumed Field at Scale
The six-option "Substance as presumed?" radio is the operational output of the entire testing record — the verdict. Yes, No, Partially consistent, Testing inconclusive, Unknown presumed substance identified, Presumed substance unknown. At 300 records, filter by "No" and you have your full list of misrepresented samples. Cross-filter with Fentanyl strip positive and you have your high-priority harm reduction follow-up list for the week, ranked by severity with the justification field giving narrative context for each one.