title: Pre-analytical phase management: a review of the procedures from patient preparation to laboratory analysis.
abstract: The pre-analytical phase encompasses all the procedures before the start of laboratory testing. This phase of the testing process is responsible for the majority of the laboratory errors, since the related procedures involve many sorts of non-laboratory professionals working outside the laboratory setting, thus without direct supervision by the laboratory staff. Therefore, either correct organization or management of both personnel and procedures that regard blood specimen collection by venipuncture are of fundamental importance, since the various steps for performing blood collection represent per se sources of laboratory variability. The aim of this (non-systematic) review addressed to healthcare professionals is to highlight the importance of blood specimen management (from patient preparation to laboratory analyses), as a tool to prevent laboratory errors, with the concept that laboratory results from inappropriate blood specimens are inconsistent and do not allow proper treatment nor monitoring of the patient.
authors.affiliation: a Post-Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Analyses , Federal University of Parana , Curitiba , Parana , Brazil.|b Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences , University of Verona , Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lima-Oliveira
authors.affiliation: a Post-Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Analyses , Federal University of Parana , Curitiba , Parana , Brazil.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Volanski
authors.affiliation: b Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences , University of Verona , Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.affiliation: a Post-Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Analyses , Federal University of Parana , Curitiba , Parana , Brazil.
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Picheth
authors.affiliation: a Post-Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Analyses , Federal University of Parana , Curitiba , Parana , Brazil.|b Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences , University of Verona , Italy.
authors.forename: Gian Cesare
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Guidi
mesh_terms: D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000592:standards*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005215:Fasting; D006405:Hematology; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000592:standards; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000592:standards*; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Blood specimen collection; clinical laboratory techniques; patient safety; quality control; total quality management