In an effort to maintain a high standard of specimen integrity, the following criteria have been developed with the intention of ensuring accurate, meaningful patient results.
Unsatisfactory Information
- All specimens must be properly identified with patient’s full name, date of birth, collection date, as well as the time and initials of the collector.
- All specimens must be accompanied by a requisition which includes full name, birth date, sex, date and time of collection, and full name of requesting physician.
- The source of the specimen should be noted when appropriate.
- Specimens not labeled properly will be rejected.
- Unlabeled specimens drawn by client will be rejected and returned upon receipt. Inadequate Specimen Due to Collection and Transportation Problems
- Contamination of the specimen (eg, bacterial contamination, hemolysis, IV solution, etc).
- Insufficient specimen for test requested, such as quantities less than those stated in these Instructions.
- Collection in improper container (eg, incorrect tube additive, non-sterile container for cultures, improper preservative, or holding medium).
- Failure to follow special instructions (eg, drug levels and place in ice, protect from light, separate plasma immediately).
- Prolonged delay in transportation. Inadequate Specimen Due to Patient Preparation
- Non-fasting patient for test that requires fasting state.
- Incorrect preparation of patient for test.
- Specimen drawn at incorrect time (eg, drug levels which should be drawn at peak or trough concentrations).
If a compromised specimen is accepted, a note will be made on the final report as to the nature of the problem and caution should be used when interpreting the results. If a specimen is rejected, the client/physician will be contacted to decide disposition. Specimens rejected due to collection problems are held in proper storage for 7 days.
All specimens are examined upon receipt by the laboratory to ensure suitability for analysis. If the specimen volume is insufficient or if the specimen has been improperly handled, the reliability of test results could be compromised and the specimen will not be processed. The client will be contacted.
Laboratory test results are dependent on the quality of the specimen submitted. It is important that all specimens and requisitions be labeled with full name of the patient, date of birth, collection date and time, initials of the collector, and the origin (source) of the sample, when applicable.
If there is any doubt or question regarding the type of specimen that should be collected, please contact our Client Services Department at 1.972.966.7300, to clarify the order and sample requirements.