Common Sources of Error (Patient must be redrawn) Which of the following is a common source of error?

Common Sources of Error (Patient must be redrawn) Which of the following is a common source of error?

• A. Wrong Vacutainer tube
• B. Hemolyzed Specimen
• C. Wrong Patient
• D. Specimen collected proximal to an IV

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is patient identification. Drawing blood from the wrong person is a frequent, high-risk error in phlebotomy that almost always requires a redraw to ensure test results apply to the correct patient and to prevent misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment. The way to prevent this is by verifying two identifiers (such as full name and date of birth) against the patient’s chart or bracelet, and labeling the specimen at the bedside right after collection. Other issues like using the wrong vacutainer tube, obtaining a hemolyzed sample, or collecting proximal to an IV are important pre-analytical problems that can affect test accuracy or sample quality, but they are not about misidentifying the patient. They may necessitate repeat collection for technical reasons, but the scenario described emphasizes preventing misidentification to avoid providing someone else’s results.

The main idea here is patient identification. Drawing blood from the wrong person is a frequent, high-risk error in phlebotomy that almost always requires a redraw to ensure test results apply to the correct patient and to prevent misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment. The way to prevent this is by verifying two identifiers (such as full name and date of birth) against the patient’s chart or bracelet, and labeling the specimen at the bedside right after collection.

Other issues like using the wrong vacutainer tube, obtaining a hemolyzed sample, or collecting proximal to an IV are important pre-analytical problems that can affect test accuracy or sample quality, but they are not about misidentifying the patient. They may necessitate repeat collection for technical reasons, but the scenario described emphasizes preventing misidentification to avoid providing someone else’s results.