Auditing of the phlebotomy system in medical laboratories in port Sudan city, Sudan

Abstract

Background: Phlebotomy is one of the most ignored techniques in laboratory medicine and health care. It is a complicat-ed practice that requires wide knowledge and high-level skills. Mistakes in phlebotomy can influence laboratory results (diagnosis) and affect patient care.Aims: To appraise phlebotomists’ practice and assess the extent of compliance with the guidelines and determine the frequency of errors in hospital laboratories in Port Sudan, Sudan.Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a structured observation scheme in 8 Sudanese public hospitals between August and September 2017. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the venepuncture procedures. Five diverse blood collections by each phlebotomist were observed at each session. We monitored 120 blood collections by 24 phlebotomists, 16 (66.7%) male, and 8 (33.3%) female, with a mean age of 31.1 years.Results: Three of 8 phlebotomy sites were not covered by standard operating procedures (SOPs). Furthermore, phlebot-omists lacked appropriate training plans. At 33.3% of the sessions, phlebotomists did not wear gloves at all, and in 69.2% sessions, they did not use new gloves for each patient. There was a significant correlation between phlebotomists’ exper-tise and the duration of tourniquet application.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that SOPs were not available in some phlebotomy sites. Phlebotomists did not follow Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Ongoing assessment and improvement of procedures are fundamental to ensure that the phlebotomy service operates effectively.