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What happens to an improperly labeled specimen?

Admin

What happens to an improperly labeled specimen?

Errors in specimen labeling lead to a higher number of inaccurate test results (e.g. wrong patient-wrong results), which can delay patient’s results and treatment options.

What will happen if specimen is not identified properly?

Unquestionably, the most serious consequence of specimen labeling errors on the direct care of patients is of one of the following types: Failure to provide proper and immediate care to a patient based on the lack of accurate test results associated with the proper patient.

What is the best thing to do with an unidentified specimen?

Unlabeled or unidentified specimens will NOT be processed until properly labeled by physician or their designee. The specimen must be accompanied by a Surgical Pathology Order. Completion of ALL essential information will optimize tissue interpretation and patient care.

What is the proper way to label a diagnostic specimen?

Each package should contain a line list with the following information for each included specimen: patient name, ID number, date collected, specimen type, clinical contact name and phone number, and submitter contact name, affiliation, phone number and e-mail address.

How is proper patient identification established in specimen collection and processing?

Regulations require that at least two patient identifiers be obtained, usually spelling of their name and their date of birth. In addition, proper labeling of the specimen is also critical (patient’s name, hospital number or date of birth, time and date of collection, phlebotomist’s name).

How can specimen labeling errors be reduced?

Here are 3 Best Practices for Reducing Specimen Labeling Errors:

  1. Use at Least Two Patient Identifiers.
  2. Enforce Periodic Quality Audits for Proper Labeling.
  3. Implement Barcode ID System.

What is the procedure for collecting specimens?

There are four steps involved in obtaining a good quality specimen for testing: (1) preparation of the patient, (2) collection of the specimen, (3) processing the specimen, and (4) storing and/or transporting the specimen.

What is specimen label?

A means of uniquely identifying the source of a clinical specimen sent for laboratory analysis.

What is the importance of correct labeling of specimens?

Accurately identifying patients and correctly labeling specimens are critical to ensure patient safety. If a specimen in not accurately identified, it can lead to delayed or wrong diagnoses, missed or incorrect treatments, blood transfusion errors, and more.

What is the proper way to identify the patient?

Patient identifier options include:

  1. Name.
  2. Assigned identification number (e.g., medical record number)
  3. Date of birth.
  4. Phone number.
  5. Social security number.
  6. Address.
  7. Photo.

What procedures do you need to follow to ensure the specimens are properly processed?

Specimen collection and processing procedures

  • Avoid patient identification errors.
  • Draw the tubes in the proper sequence.
  • Use proper containers for collection.
  • Mix all tubes ten times by gentle inversion immediately after collection.
  • Do not decant specimens from one type of container into another.

What makes a specimen an unlabeled specimen?

Any specimen is unlabeled if the container holding the specimen (test tube, urine container, surgical specimen container, etc.) does not have the patient’s first and last name, medical record number, collection date and time, specimen type, and test required on it.

What causes a specimen to be rejected from a laboratory?

If generated labels are not available all samples may be labeled with legible handwriting. Two identifiers are still required. laboratory. Rejected specimens may be due to labeling error, quality of sample of quantity of sample. that are difficult or traumatic to obtain.

What are the requirements for labeling a specimen?

The test will be billed to the patient’s account. At minimum, all labels must show at least the patient’s first and last names and the correct unit number and have an associated order for the testing to be performed. Specimens with less information are inadequately identified, and will not be processed until the deficiencies are corrected.

When is a mislabeled sample is irretrievable?

In cases where a mislabeled sample is irretrievable or where re-collection would jeopardize patient care (e.g. invasively collected samples, intra-operative samples, timed samples, etc.) AND the sample itself can be identified with reasonable certainty exceptions to the above policy may be made.