Opportunities to Improve Quality in Laboratory Medicine

Modern laboratories offer cost-effective and precise analysis of specimens. Unfortunately, accurate laboratory tests still can result in bad outcomes because of errors in the pre- and postanalytic phases of testing. Important sources of error in the preanalytic phase include errors in test ordering, patient identification, specimen collection, transport, and accessioning. Errors in the postanalytic phase often relate to turn-around time, delivery of reports, or interpretation of results. This article focuses on the key opportunities for improvement in quality.