Costs analysis of a training intervention for the reduction of preanalytical errors in primary care samples

BACKGROUND: To perform a cost-error analysis based on a quasi-experimental pre-post study of the preanalytical errors in 2 hospital laboratories. The real cost and theoretical cost are defined as the cost resulting from errors with or without the training intervention. The real impact associated to the training program was estimated, calculated as the total associated to the preanalytical errors cost difference. The costs were measured using Andalusian Public Health Service fees. Cost analysis of an educational intervention presented in a previous study from 2017. Preanalytical errors were detected in the laboratories of the University Hospital Virgen de la Victoria (Málaga, Spain) and in the University Hospital Juan Ramón Jiménez (Huelva, Spain). METHODS: The founded errors were divided into blood and urine samples. Univariate sensitivity analysis was used to assess how parameter uncertainty impacted on overall results. Variations of parameters between 0% and 5% were substituted into the base case. RESULTS: The real impact associated with educational intervention in LAB1 was an increase of €16,961.378, and the expected impact was an increase €78,745.27 (difference of €61,783.9). In LAB2, the real impact in the same period amounted to €260,195.37, and the expected impact was €193,905.83 (difference of −€66,289.54). The results were different in the 2 laboratories, proving the intervention in only one of them to be more effective. CONCLUSIONS: Costs analysis determined that this training intervention can provide saves in the costs, as the effectiveness of the educational sessions in reducing preanalytical errors currently results in a significant decrease of the costs associated with these errors.