Guidelines in Practice: Specimen Management

Specimen management is a complex process that involves multiple steps and numerous health care personnel. Preventable specimen-related errors are common and can occur during any phase of the specimen management process. Perioperative nurses manage specimens during the preanalytical phase before specimens are delivered to the laboratory for analysis. Errors in the preanalytical phase may include mislabeling, miscommunication, loss of a specimen, improper fixation of the specimen, and transport failures. The AORN "Guideline for specimen management" provides guidance for managing specimens collected during surgical and other invasive procedures, including recommendations for handling specific types of specimens. This article discusses the guideline recommendations for intraoperative team communication, transfer from the sterile field, containment, transport, and quality. A scenario describes a facility team's use of a root cause analysis and a failure modes and effects analysis tool to assess the risk and effects of specimen errors and create a process improvement plan.