The Laboratory is the New Ward: House Officers' Role in Nigeria's Diagnostic Future

In many Nigerian hospitals, simple lapses in laboratory request forms, such as omitting demographic data, test types, or clinical details, cause delays and misinterpretations, thereby compromising care. These errors are most often made by newly qualified doctors during housemanship, a critical stage in medical training. While house officers rotate through multiple specialties, little emphasis is placed on laboratory medicine despite its central role in diagnosis and patient management. We argue that strengthening their training in pre-analytical requirements is essential. Doing so will improve turnaround times and foster better collaboration with laboratory medicine specialists, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.