title: Prevalence and type of pre-analytical problems for inpatients samples in coagulation laboratory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Total quality in coagulation testing is a necessary requisite to achieve clinically reliable results. Evidence was provided that poor standardization in the extra-analytical phases of the testing process has the greatest influence on test results, though little information is available so far on prevalence and type of pre-analytical variability in coagulation testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was designed to describe all pre-analytical problems on inpatients routine and stat samples recorded in our coagulation laboratory over a 2-year period and clustered according to their source (hospital departments).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, pre-analytic problems were identified in 5.5% of the specimens. Although the highest frequency was observed for paediatric departments, in no case was the comparison of the prevalence among the different hospital departments statistically significant. The more frequent problems could be referred to samples not received in the laboratory following a doctor's order (49.3%), haemolysis (19.5%), clotting (14.2%) and inappropriate volume (13.7%). Specimens not received prevailed in the intensive care unit, surgical and clinical departments, whereas clotted and haemolysed specimens were those most frequently recorded from paediatric and emergency departments, respectively. The present investigation demonstrates a high prevalence of pre-analytical problems affecting samples for coagulation testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Full implementation of a total quality system, encompassing a systematic error tracking system, is a valuable tool to achieve meaningful information on the local pre-analytic processes most susceptible to errors, enabling considerations on specific responsibilities and providing the ideal basis for an efficient feedback within the hospital departments.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Chimica e Microscopia Clinica, Dipartimento di Scienze Morfologico-Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy. gsalvagno77@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Gian L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Salvagno
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bassi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.forename: Gian C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Guidi
mesh_terms: D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007558:Italy; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008499:Medical Records; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013048:Specimen Handling