Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionals
In 2023, the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in every 10 patients experiences harm from unsafe care, with 3 million deaths occurring yearly from the same. Over half the cases of patient harm are preventable and resultant from errors. As 70% of medical decision making involves the laborato...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Clinical Infection in Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170224000050 |
| _version_ | 1827329773517406208 |
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| author | John C. Lam Deirdre L. Church |
| author_facet | John C. Lam Deirdre L. Church |
| author_sort | John C. Lam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 2023, the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in every 10 patients experiences harm from unsafe care, with 3 million deaths occurring yearly from the same. Over half the cases of patient harm are preventable and resultant from errors. As 70% of medical decision making involves the laboratory, laboratory medicine is looked upon to improve patient safety. However, laboratory errors are not isolated and unpredictable entities, but rather reflective of the overall healthcare system. Laboratory errors often occur outside the laboratory, as medical testing and procedures are performed by individuals with various levels of quality control training. We describe a case of a specimen labeling error which prolonged a patient’s hospitalization, hindered the medical team’s clinical decision making and increased healthcare cost utilization. We review categories of laboratory errors, outline steps to prevent pre-analytical laboratory errors (defined as those that occur before, during or after specimen collection) and describe metrics to measure quality improvement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:45:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e4e05755472a4865bd12e36753aab44e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2590-1702 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:45:59Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinical Infection in Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-e4e05755472a4865bd12e36753aab44e2024-03-05T04:30:54ZengElsevierClinical Infection in Practice2590-17022024-01-0121100345Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionalsJohn C. Lam0Deirdre L. Church1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Corresponding author at: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, 911 Broxton Avenue, Suite 301, Los Angeles, CA 90024, United States.Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaIn 2023, the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in every 10 patients experiences harm from unsafe care, with 3 million deaths occurring yearly from the same. Over half the cases of patient harm are preventable and resultant from errors. As 70% of medical decision making involves the laboratory, laboratory medicine is looked upon to improve patient safety. However, laboratory errors are not isolated and unpredictable entities, but rather reflective of the overall healthcare system. Laboratory errors often occur outside the laboratory, as medical testing and procedures are performed by individuals with various levels of quality control training. We describe a case of a specimen labeling error which prolonged a patient’s hospitalization, hindered the medical team’s clinical decision making and increased healthcare cost utilization. We review categories of laboratory errors, outline steps to prevent pre-analytical laboratory errors (defined as those that occur before, during or after specimen collection) and describe metrics to measure quality improvement.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170224000050ErrorQualityPatient safetyLaboratory medicineLaboratory-associated errors |
| spellingShingle | John C. Lam Deirdre L. Church Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionals Clinical Infection in Practice Error Quality Patient safety Laboratory medicine Laboratory-associated errors |
| title | Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionals |
| title_full | Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionals |
| title_fullStr | Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionals |
| title_short | Preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety – The role of non-laboratory trained healthcare professionals |
| title_sort | preventing laboratory error and improving patient safety the role of non laboratory trained healthcare professionals |
| topic | Error Quality Patient safety Laboratory medicine Laboratory-associated errors |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170224000050 |
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