Importance of the Preanalytical Phase for the Clinical Laboratory
Keywords:
Key words, preanalytical phase, blood specimen collection by venipuncture, clinical laboratory, lab results.Abstract
Introduction: The pre-analytical phase encompasses all the procedures before the start of laboratory testing. This phase of the testing process is responsible for the majority of the laboratory errors, since the related procedures involve many sorts of non-laboratory professionals working outside the laboratory setting, thus without direct supervision by the laboratory staff.
Objetive: The aim of this paper addressed to healthcare professionals is to highlight the importance of blood specimen management (from patient preparation to laboratory analyses), as a tool to prevent laboratory errors.
Methods: The review on this matter, including official documents of several international organizations of Clinical Lab, there is a consensus on those subjects that, although information and preparation of patients, the correct organization or management of both personnel and procedures that regard blood specimen collection by venipuncture are of fundamental importance, since the various steps for performing blood collection represent per se sources of laboratory variability.
Conclusions: Laboratory results from inappropriate blood specimens are inconsistent and do not allow proper treatment nor monitoring of the patient.
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