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| How to Avoid Preanalytical Testing Errors: A Virtual Roundtable Discussion |
Jul 2008 |
Beth Wegerbauer |
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It is estimated that a majority of all laboratory medicine errors are errors that occur during the preanalytical phase of the laboratory testing cycle. Such errors have a significant impact on patient safety, staff workload, and hospital costs. Correctly identifying patients and avoiding specimen-labeling errors are areas of particular concern for health-care professionals. Bloodgas.org interviewed several healthcare professionals for a “virtual roundtable” discussion on how to avoid errors during the preanalytical testing phase. They represented the United Kingdom, Estonia, and the United States. Although their approaches varied, there were common threads among our interviewees regarding how they avoid preanalytical errors, including the use of automation to track and report errors, consistent staff training, and the importance of frequent communication among departments. |
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