Today, many high volume blood banks have automation that completes analytical testing. Results are reviewed and transmitted through an interface from the analyzer into the laboratory information system. Proper validation of this resulting method ensures that results are transmitted accurately and with confidence every time. However, when bench testing must take the place of automation, as often happens with ABO discrepancies, care must be taken to ensure that results are reported accurately. Concurrent documentation, part of the analytical phase of testing, ensures that the results read are the results documented. Whether reading a tube, gel card, or solid phase strip, individual reactions should be recorded at the time of interpretation to ensure accuracy and test method integrity. Postanalytical errors can arise when testing results are not concurrently documented at the point of result interpretation.
