Measurement of physician specimen-handling errors and its contribution to laboratory information system quality

To reduce the frequency of errors associated with hematology specimens and requisitions arriving in the hematology laboratories of a large urban teaching hospital, an intervention was conducted to alter the behavior of the medical students, interns, residents, and board-qualified physicians who ordered the tests, completed the requisitions, and drew the specimens. This paper presents the method used for measuring specimen quality, certain results derived from the method, and corresponding considerations for changes in the design of the system by which specimens are collected and delivered to the laboratory. These changes should improve the quality of the entire laboratory information system.