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- Grankvist, Kjell, et al.
(author)
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Status on fasting definition for blood sampling in the Nordic countries - time for a harmonized definition
- 2018
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0036-5513 .- 1502-7686. ; 78:7-8, s. 591-594
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The preanalytical phase contains a vast number of practices whose variation may influence the results of laboratory testing and should, therefore, be standardized. The Working Group on Preanalytical Phase of the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM WG-PA) has suggested a standardization of venous blood specimen collection (VBSC) requirements for fasting samples including 12 h fasting time and water ad lib in the morning prior to specimen collection. The Nordic Scientific Preanalytical Working Group investigated the fasting definitions used in the Nordic countries. The Internet was assessed for stated fasting definitions of official organizations, larger laboratories, or laboratory groups. Fasting instructions for VBSC generally demanded patients to abstain from alcohol a day prior to, and to abstain from coffee, tea, smoking, and snuff intake in the morning of VBSC. Norway had a national fasting definition. Required fasting times varied from 8 to 14 h. The amount of water allowed in the morning of VBSC varied from ad lib to half a glass of water. The list of analytes, where fasting was required, held 9-15 analytes except for Finland with 65 analytes. Implementation of the EFLM WG-PRE standardization of VBSC requirements for fasting samples would decrease preanalytical variability and be beneficial for medical decisions and patient data comparison. We suggest the laboratories in the Nordic countries to implement the suggested fasting requirements, which are in line with those used when fasting reference intervals were established in the Nordic reference interval project.
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| 2. |
- Söderberg, Johan, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Incident reporting practices in the preanalytical phase : low reported frequencies in the primary health care setting
- 2009
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0036-5513 .- 1502-7686. ; 69:7, s. 731-735
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Incident reporting is commonly used to improve patient safety. The preanalytical phase of laboratory testing contains several manual error-prone tasks where mistakes can affect patient outcomes. However, the practical use of incident reports in this area has not been previously investigated in the primary health care setting, where the majority of the patients come in contact with health care.MATERIAL AND METHODS: All staff responsible for venous blood sampling in 70 primary health care centres and in two hospital clinical laboratories (317 respondents, response rate 94%) completed a questionnaire.RESULTS: Of the primary health care staff, 69% reported that they had never filed an incident report regarding venous blood sampling. Barriers for not filing incident reports often/always included lack of time (44%) and a complicated reporting procedure (27%). A higher proportion of staff with re-education (43%) had filed at least one incident report as compared to those without re-education (20%, p < 0.001). No differences in incident reporting practices were found between primary health care and hospital clinical laboratory staff.CONCLUSIONS: The investigated incident reporting system is likely to underreport incidents in the preanalytical phase. Therefore, the ability to discover preventable system vulnerabilities needs refinement.
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| 3. |
- Wallin, Olof, et al.
(author)
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Patient-centred care - preanalytical factors demand attention : a questionnaire study of venous blood sampling and specimen handling
- 2007
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5513 .- 1502-7686. ; 67:8, s. 836-847
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective. Most mistakes in laboratory medicine are the result of human error occurring before the blood sample reaches the laboratory. This survey of preanalytical procedures was designed to identify sources of error and potential targets for quality improvement strategies. Material and methods. The staff in a highly specialized surgical ward at a university hospital completed a questionnaire addressing the collection and handling of venous blood samples in plastic vacuum test‐tubes for general clinical chemistry testing. Results. The results suggest that venous blood sampling instructions are not always followed. When uncertain about how a sample should be collected, the majority of respondents rely on potentially poor sources of information, such as out‐of‐date printed instructions or the advice of a colleague, rather than consult up‐to‐date electronic instructions. Furthermore, they do not always report errors and the referrals are not always handled according to sampling instructions. The respondents were highly motivated, however, and had a strong interest in receiving further education in, and assuming increased responsibility for, venous blood sampling procedures in the ward. Conclusions. We believe that the introduction of standardized routines and regular staff training, combined with an exchange of the existing paper‐based referral management system with an electronic system for managing referrals, could increase safety in the preanalytical process, with positive effects on patient safety. Given the importance of venous blood samples in patient care, a more extensive study covering other hospital wards and primary health‐care centres is needed. Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00365510701370675
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