Overview
Before Collection: Verify the Test, Patient, and Timing
A laboratory result is only as trustworthy as the specimen behind it.
A laboratory result is only as trustworthy as the specimen behind it. A technically perfect analysis cannot correct a specimen collected from the wrong patient, in the wrong container, at the wrong time, or after contamination. Begin with the completed requisition. Confirm the test requested, the specimen source, the required container, timing, patient preparation, and any special handling instructions. Compare the patient’s identity with the requisition using at least two identifiers, such as full name and date of birth or Personal Health Number. A room number, bed number, or diagnosis is not a patient identifier. The identifiers must still match when the specimen is labeled and before it leaves the clinical area. Timing changes what a result means. A drug level intended as a trough is collected immediately before the next scheduled dose; collecting it after the dose may produce a misleadingly high value. Fasting is required only when the ordered test specifies it. Timed urine collections depend on accurately recorded start and finish times. Blood cultures are generally collected before antimicrobial therapy when ordered and when doing so will...