Challenges in Preanalytical Phase of Laboratory Medicine: Rate of Blood Sample Nonconformity in a Tertiary Care Hospital

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the major causes of preanalytical errors in medical laboratory of a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: It was a retrospective study in which we analyzed the sample rejection data of hematology and chemical pathology sections from January to December 2018. Number of rejected samples, reason for rejection and type of test ordered on monthly basis were recorded on a platform. RESULTS: A total of 113,817 samples were received during the study period. Preanalytical errors were found in 1,688 samples, which constitute approximately 1.48% of the total number of samples received. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the magnitude of preanalytical errors in our setup. Preanalytical errors can lead to loss of patient trust in diagnostic services, can dent the laboratory’s reputation, and lead to an increase in the overall operating expenses, both for laboratories as well as the hospitals. Compliance with good laboratory practices can significantly reduce the frequency of pre analytical errors.