Electronic Witnessing in IVF: How Indian Labs Prove Every Sample Is the Right One
A guide for IVF lab directors and clinic owners in India: why manual double-checks fall short, what electronic witnessing does, and what to look for in a system.
Every couple who starts IVF trusts the clinic with something they cannot replace. Very few of them ask the obvious question out loud: how do you know this embryo is ours?
Most clinics answer it the same way. Two staff members check each label by eye and sign a register. That system has served IVF labs for decades. But it depends on two busy people being available, focused and in the same room at every critical step.
Electronic witnessing changes the answer from “we checked” to “we can show you.” Every sample is scanned at every critical step. A mismatch is blocked before it happens. Each check is recorded with the person, the time and a photo.
This guide covers why witnessing matters, where manual checks break down, how electronic witnessing works, and what a good system should do for an Indian lab.
Why it matters: mix-ups are rare, but they happen
Sample mix-ups are rare. When they happen, the cost to the family, the clinic and its reputation lasts for years.
| CASE IN INDIA In June 2023, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered a Delhi hospital and its doctors to pay ₹1.5 crore to a couple. The wrong man’s sperm had been used in their ICSI procedure in 2008. The couple found out only after a blood-group mismatch in their twins led to a paternity test. (Moneylife, SCC Online)One detail from the judgment matters for every lab director. The Commission noted that the records did not show who washed the sperm or who performed the procedure. Without that record, the clinic could not show what happened, step by step. |
Abroad. In the US, a Georgia woman sued a fertility clinic in 2025 after giving birth to another couple’s baby. A wrong embryo had been transferred, and she later lost custody of the child to his biological parents. (WTOC)
| WHAT PATIENTS THINK 90.4% of 408 IVF patients worried about a sample mix-upElectronic witnessing reduced those worries for 92.1% of them. (Forte et al., J Assist Reprod Genet, 2016) |
Patients rarely ask about witnessing. But the worry is there, and a clinic that can answer it builds trust.
Where manual double witnessing breaks down
Manual witnessing works when the lab is calm. It weakens exactly when the lab is busiest.
- Two people, one moment. Every check needs a second embryologist free at that exact time. In a busy OPU morning, someone waits or someone rushes.
- Interruptions. Each witness call pulls a colleague away from their own dish. A study comparing electronic and manual witnessing found manual double witnessing took 3.1 to 5.2 times longer. (Holmes et al., F&S Reports, 2021)
- Familiarity. After hundreds of checks, people see what they expect to see. A label that looks almost right can pass.
- Paper records. A signature in a register shows a check was signed, not what was checked. Months later, it is hard to prove which sample was handled, by whom and when.
- Growth. More cycles, more centres and more staff multiply every one of these risks.
None of this says embryologists are careless. It says the method relies on human attention at the moments attention is hardest to keep.
What electronic witnessing is, and how it works
Electronic witnessing replaces the second person’s eyes with a scan. Every dish, tube and straw carries a label linked to one patient. At each critical step, the embryologist scans the patient ID and the sample. If they don’t match, the system stops the step.
The critical steps usually include:
- Collection. Oocytes at OPU and the semen sample are labelled to the patient and the cycle.
- Preparation. Sperm washing and dish preparation are checked against the patient.
- Insemination or ICSI. The oocytes and the sperm are confirmed to belong to the same couple.
- Culture checks. Each move between dishes is scanned.
- Transfer. The embryo is confirmed against the patient on the table.
- Freezing and thawing. Straws are confirmed at vitrification and again before use.
Every scan is saved with the time and the person who did it. Together these scans become the sample’s chain of custody: a record of every hand it passed through.
The difference from manual witnessing is simple. A manual check relies on someone noticing a mismatch. An electronic check won’t let the step go ahead until the mismatch is resolved.
What good electronic witnessing looks like for an Indian lab
Not every witnessing system fits every lab. Use these questions to judge any system, including ours.
| What to check | Why it matters | Ask the vendor to show you |
|---|---|---|
| Every critical step is covered | A gap in the chain is where a mix-up hides | The witness points for one full cycle, OPU to transfer |
| A wrong scan stops the step | A warning that can be clicked past is not a safeguard | What happens when you scan the wrong dish |
| Overrides need approval and are recorded | Real labs need exceptions, but each one must be explained | Who can approve an override, and where it is logged |
| Each check records person, time and photo | Proof for audits, disputes and patient questions | The record of one witness step |
| Steps match your SOPs | Your lab’s workflow should not bend to the software | How witness points are added or changed |
| Witnessing sits in the same record as the cycle | Two systems mean two sets of data to reconcile | Where witness data appears in the patient file |
| Cryo is covered | Frozen samples are stored for years and handled by different staff | How a straw is confirmed at freezing and at thaw |
| Reports by date range and by centre | Lab directors need to see compliance, not assume it | A witness report for last month, for each centre |
| Cost fits your cycle volume | Per-cycle fees and dedicated hardware add up for mid-size clinics | The full cost: licence, hardware, labels, support |
| FOR INDIAN CLINICS Section 23 of the ART (Regulation) Act, 2021 requires clinics to keep detailed records of every oocyte, sperm and embryo, used or unused, and how each was used. These records must be kept for at least ten years and be open to inspection. A witnessing system that writes every check into the patient’s record turns that duty into a by-product of daily work. |
How Sentinel does it inside ARTis
Sentinel is ARTis’s own electronic witnessing system. It uses QR codes to identify the patient and the sample at each critical step. Because it runs inside ARTis, every check lands in the same patient and cycle record the clinician and embryologist already use.
- The patient’s name is read aloud. At each scan, Sentinel reads out the patient’s name, so the embryologist hears the match as well as sees it.
- A photo with every scan. Each check captures an image, stamped with the time and the user who did it.
- A wrong scan stops the workflow. If the patient and sample don’t match, the step cannot continue until an authorised person approves it. The approval is recorded.
- Steps set to your SOPs. The lab decides which steps are witnessed, and labels are printed from the system.
- Visibility across centres. A central lab director can see witnessing activity at every branch: which steps were done, by whom and when.
- Ready-made reports. The witness workflows report shows every check for any date range, ready for internal review or an inspection.
The main difference from add-on systems is where the data lives. Most witnessing products sit beside the clinic software and connect to it. Sentinel is part of it, so there is one record, not two to reconcile.
| See Sentinel on a live cycle We’ll walk your team through a full witness trail, from OPU to transfer. Book a demo → |
Continue with: IVF Lab & Cryo Management Software: From Oocyte Collection to Cryo Storage Renewal
Frequently asked questions
What is electronic witnessing in IVF?
It is a system that confirms, by scanning, that each sample belongs to the right patient at every critical lab step. It blocks a mismatch and records who did each check and when.
Does electronic witnessing replace manual witnessing?
For most steps, yes: the scan does the job of the second person. Many labs keep a manual check for a few high-risk moments, such as embryo transfer. Your SOPs decide which steps use which method.
Is electronic witnessing mandatory in India?
The ART (Regulation) Act, 2021 requires clinics to keep detailed records of every oocyte, sperm and embryo and how it was used, for at least ten years, and electronic witnessing makes those records complete and easy to produce.
Does it slow the lab down?
Usually the opposite. One published study found electronic witnessing cut witnessing time by 3.1 to 5.2 times compared with manual double witnessing, because no one waits for a second person.
What happens if a scan doesn’t match?
A good system stops the step. In Sentinel, the workflow cannot continue until an authorised person reviews and approves it, and that approval is recorded.
Can witnessing work across several centres?
Yes, if it is built into the clinic system. With Sentinel inside ARTis, a central lab director can review witnessing at every branch from one place.
How do patients know their clinic uses it?
Many clinics tell patients during counselling and show the scan at OPU or transfer. Hearing their name read aloud at the bench is a simple, visible reassurance.
References
- National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Consumer Case No. 14 of 2010, order dated 16 June 2023. Reported by Moneylife and SCC Online.
- “‘They destroyed my life’: Woman sues clinic after IVF embryo mix-up.” WTOC, 18 February 2025.
- Forte M. et al. “Electronic witness system in IVF: patients’ perspective.” Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 2016. Read the study.
- Holmes R. et al. “Comparison of electronic versus manual witnessing of procedures within the IVF laboratory.” F&S Reports, 2021. Read the abstract.
- The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, Section 23.