Laboratory sampling. Alternate site perspectives

Laboratory test results are a major diagnostic tool in the determination of a patient's condition. Clinical decisions and treatment regimens are based on these results. Laboratory testing requires a complex combination of skill, knowledge, planning, and attention to details for the end result to be an accurate representation of the patient's condition at a specific point in time. Competency in techniques, knowledge of the purpose of the testing, effects of variables on laboratory results, and the importance of following quality standards are imperative. Alternate sites present many challenges to laboratory testing. Physicians' offices, clinics, and patient's homes are rapidly replacing the traditionally controlled laboratory setting. Point-of-care technology has addressed many of the logistical problems inherent in laboratory testing for the alternate site; however, competence and quality assurance remain important parts of laboratory testing and the analysis of results.