What chain of custody establishes
Chain of custody is the documented history of who held an item, when, and under what conditions. For clinical material it supports result defensibility; for medications it supports accountability; for records it supports privacy compliance.
Elements of a complete record
A usable custody record identifies the item or container, the releasing and receiving parties, timestamps for each transfer, the transport conditions, and any exceptions observed during transit.
Electronic proof of delivery — timestamped signature or photo capture — closes the record at the point of handoff and removes reliance on recollection.