Overview
Quality matters because laboratory results drive clinical decisions. Failures can harm patients, cause wrong treatment, delay care, and damage trust, and wrong results may look like real disease.
Classification
| Impact | Example |
|---|---|
| Patient harm | Unnecessary treatment from a false abnormal |
| Wrong treatment | Acting on another patient's result |
| Delayed care | Redraws after preventable specimen failure |
| Loss of trust | Clinicians discount future laboratory reports |
Morphologic Features
Not applicable, this entry covers patient-safety impact, not morphology.
Laboratory Characteristics
- Errors may be clinically believable
- Bench checks prevent chart-level harm
- Communication of holds/delays is part of safety
Reference Intervals
Not applicable, this topic addresses risk and professional duty, not reference intervals.
Clinical and Laboratory Significance
A quality failure can create a false diagnostic picture. Treating the number without specimen and process context risks incorrect care.
Differential Considerations
Not applicable as a disease differential. When results look unexpected, consider real disease versus specimen/process quality problems.
Comparison Tables
Patient-impact checkpoints
| Situation | Safe response | Unsafe assumption |
|---|---|---|
| Implausible or specimen-compromised result | Hold/reject per SOP; communicate | Release because the floor is waiting |
| Busy shift | Keep patient-impact checks | Skip review, clinicians will notice |
| No complaint yet | Still investigate and improve | Silence means no harm occurred |
Classification Frameworks
Not applicable . WHO disease classifications do not define laboratory quality impact.
Laboratory Notes
- Wrong results can look like disease
- Quality failures → harm, wrong Rx, delay, lost trust
- Do not release what you would not trust
References
Authoritative textbooks, guidelines, and reviews supporting this reference entry. Verify reference intervals, critical limits, and reflex criteria against institutional protocols and current guideline editions.
Textbooks
- McPherson RA, Pincus MR. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 24th ed. Elsevier; 2021. (Laboratory quality and management chapters, verify current edition.)
CLSI and Professional Guidelines
- Institutional laboratory SOPs, locally adopted quality policies, and manufacturer instructions for use (IFU). Always verify current local practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
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