Development of a preanalytical errors recording software

Abstract

Background: Although the contribution of laboratory diagnostics is integral to the clinical decision making, quality and safety in diagnostic testing are essential to furthering the goal of high-quality and safe healthcare. Despite remarkable advances in the quality of the total testing process, the preanalytical variability is the leading source of errors and uncertainty. As such, the implementation of a systematic policy for recording preanalytical errors would grant major benefits for identifying critical activities of this process, planning and monitoring effective actions for improvement. The aim of this article is to describe the software developed for the recording of preanalytical errors in our laboratory. Materials and methods: We have developed error recording software based on Microsoft Access. The main fields included in the software comprehend a numerator for progressive enumeration of the samples, the date of receipt of the specimen, the Sample ID, the patient's name, the type of request, the referring ward, sample matrix, the type of non-conformity, the action undertaken to solve the problem, a second eld for possible additional actions undertaken, and the operator ID. The database is stored on a common repository in our laboratory information system, so that it can be accessed by any computer in the laboratory, allowing continuous and standardized input of the data. Results and discussion: The implementation of a software for systematical recording of preanalytical errors grants major benefits, including harmonization of incident reporting practices, simplicity of digital recording, elimination of handwritten reports, inclusion of validated measures of laboratory performance, handily customization, exportation on worksheets for comprehensive statistical analyses, improved data searching and processing, as well as production of improved statistical reports.