The team brainstormed the procedures for proper handling of specimens. It was noted that some samples that were to be frigerated or frozen immediately after collection were sometimes left on the counter for up to 30 minutes. In some cases, the specimens had to be rejected and the patient redrawn. This was especially true for the satellite drawing stations. The courier did not always have ice bags or access to dry ice if required, and the delay could be up to an hour before the main lab received the specimens. When this happened, often the specimens had to be rejected by the main laboratory causing the patient to be redrawn. It was determined that STATs and blood gas samples were handled according to proper protocol. There was no evidence of improper sorting of specimens for the various laboratory departments. Utilizing the Five Whys technique, the team recommended better training for staff handling samples and making refrigerators and freezers closer to the area so they did not need to batch the samples collected before taking them to another area of the lab. They recommended couriers be trained on proper protocol for the transport of different types of specimens and making sure coolers, ice, and dry ice are always available for couriers at satellite laboratories.
