Preanalytical Errors in a Hematology Laboratory: An Experience from a Tertiary Care Center

Area of Science:

• Clinical Laboratory Science
• Hematology
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Laboratory errors can occur at any stage of diagnostic testing.
• Preanalytical errors, occurring before analysis, can lead to delayed diagnoses and patient distress.
• This study focused on identifying and quantifying preanalytical errors within a hematology laboratory setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the types and frequency of preanalytical errors in a tertiary care hospital's hematology laboratory.
• To identify the most common causes of sample rejection due to preanalytical issues.
• To provide data for improving laboratory practices and reducing error rates.

Main Methods:

• A one-year retrospective analysis of hematology test samples from outpatients and inpatients.
• Inclusion of sample collection and rejection data from laboratory records.
• Data analysis using Microsoft Excel, presenting error types and frequencies in tables.

Main Results:

• Out of 67,892 hematology samples, 886 (1.3%) were rejected due to preanalytical errors.
• Insufficient sample volume was the most frequent error (54.17%).
• Emergency department samples commonly showed insufficient or clotted issues, while pediatric samples often had insufficient or diluted issues.

Conclusions:

• Inadequate and clotted samples represent the majority of preanalytical errors.
• Pediatric patient samples were most frequently affected by insufficiency and dilution errors.
• Implementing best laboratory practices is crucial for minimizing preanalytical errors.