Laboratory Workflow Determinants Affecting Glucose Integrity: A Secondary Analysis of Pre-Analytical Errors
Keywords:
Pre-analytical Errors, Glucose Estimation, Laboratory Diagnosis, In-Vitro Glycolysis, Quality Control, Diagnostic PathogenesisAbstract
Background: Laboratory inaccuracies are mainly caused by pre-analytical errors, which have a major influence on the estimation of glucose. Continuous in vitro glycolysis contributes to glucose testing being very sensitive to specimen handling and processing delay particularly in a resource constrained environment. The purpose of this research was to establish the rate and predictors of pre-analytical errors in glucose tests, especially delayed specimen handling. Methods: The study (n=225) included venous blood samples obtained as routine glucose estimation and pre-analytical errors were evaluated including delayed handling, hemolysis, inadequate sample volume, improper centrifugation and labeling errors. Demographic variables were summarized in descriptive form. Chi-square tests were used to assess associations between age, gender and error occurrence, and binary logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors. The p-value below 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: The average age of the participants was 40.72 years and females constituted 135 (60 %) of the group. In 45 (20%) of the samples, pre-analytical errors were found. The most common mistake was delayed specimen processing, which occurred in 9.3 % of the total number of samples and 46.7 % of the cases with an error. Higher error rates were significantly related to increasing age (≥40 years) and male gender. The independent predictors (aOR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1-3.3; p = 0.026) and delayed processing (p = 0.001) were confirmed using logistic regression. Conclusion: The major cause of pre-analytical errors in glucose testing was delay in processing of specimens and the age of patients also contributed to the presence of errors.
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