NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)Safety and ComplianceMedium
A phlebotomy technician is responsible for ensuring the quality of blood specimens. Which of the following actions directly contributes to maintaining specimen integrity and preventing pre-analytical errors?
- ALabeling tubes immediately after venipuncture at the patient's bedside.
- BUsing expired collection tubes to reduce waste.
- CStoring all collected specimens in a refrigerator until transport.
- DShaking blood collection tubes vigorously to ensure proper mixing.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Labeling tubes immediately after venipuncture at the patient's bedside.
Correct patient identification and labeling of tubes at the bedside immediately after collection are critical to prevent mislabeling, which is a significant pre-analytical error that can lead to incorrect diagnoses and treatment.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. This is incorrect; expired tubes may have lost their vacuum, or additives may be compromised, leading to inaccurate results.
- C. This is incorrect; not all specimens require refrigeration, and some may be adversely affected by it (e.g., potassium, cold agglutinins).
- D. This is incorrect; vigorous shaking can cause hemolysis, altering test results.
Specimen Labeling Protocol
The standardized procedure for accurately identifying and labeling blood collection tubes to ensure correct patient-specimen association.
- Must be done at the patient's bedside immediately after collection.
- Requires at least two patient identifiers.
- Mislabeling is a critical pre-analytical error.
Memory trick: Label 'L'ightly and 'L'ocally, 'L'est 'L'ab 'L'oses 'L'ife.