Disposables as sources of preanalytical contamination and misdiagnosis

Area of Science:

• Clinical diagnostics
• Laboratory medicine
• Analytical chemistry

Background:

• Accurate laboratory testing is critical for patient diagnosis and treatment.
• False-positive results can lead to unnecessary medical interventions and patient anxiety.
• Investigating the root causes of laboratory errors is essential for quality improvement.

Observation:

• Two distinct patient laboratory samples yielded false-positive results.
• The errors were traced to a confluence of factors.
• These factors included trace contamination of disposable lab materials.

Findings:

• Suboptimal design within laboratory systems contributed to the errors.
• Highly sensitive analytical instrumentation amplified the impact of minor preanalytical issues.
• A combination of preanalytical contamination, system design flaws, and sensitive analytical methods caused the false positives.

Implications:

• Workstation configuration changes are proposed as a solution to prevent future errors.
• Optimizing laboratory workflows and workstation setup can enhance diagnostic accuracy.
• Implementing these changes can improve patient safety and reduce healthcare costs associated with erroneous results.