Contribution to Lab Errors as a Healthcare Professional

Abstract

With the emergence of new diagnostic markers every day, laboratory investigations have become an essential and integral part of healthcare. It is prudent to ensure that this dependence on diagnosis and treatment in laboratories is serious and responsible. This responsibility does not lie solely within the confines of a laboratory but extends to any healthcare personnel involved in the process of report generation. Reviews revolving around this topic focus on the laboratory's roles and conclude with the emphasis on paying attention to the extra-analytical phases. In this review, we attempt to expand our audience to include all healthcare professionals and highlight their role in increasing or minimizing laboratory errors. The process of creating a reliable report will be viewed as a shared responsibility. This includes the patient who has the responsibility to follow the direction given before specimen collection and extends to the doctor who interprets the results, keeping in mind all the inherent limitations that a test encompasses.