What is the correct action if you suspect a sample was collected from the wrong patient?

What is the correct action if you suspect a sample was collected from the wrong patient?

• A. Discard the sample without documenting
• B. Proceeed with analysis
• C. Label as right patient
• D. Immediately notify supervisor, document, and recollect from the correct patient if possible; quarantine the mislabelled specimen.

Answer: (D)

When a specimen might have been collected from the wrong patient, the priority is to protect the patient and the accuracy of the lab result. The proper action is to stop the process, notify a supervisor, document exactly what happened (including patient identifiers, time, specimen type, and why you suspect mislabeling), quarantine the mislabelled specimen so it isn’t tested or reported, and recollect from the correct patient if possible using proper patient verification (two identifiers, correct matching information). Follow the lab’s incident reporting and chain-of-custody procedures to ensure the mislabelled sample is handled safely and the correct specimen is obtained. Discarding without documentation risks losing traceability and patient safety; proceeding with analysis on a mislabelled sample could lead to a wrong diagnosis; labeling the specimen as the right patient hides the error and is unsafe. The described action directly protects patient safety and maintains lab integrity.

When a specimen might have been collected from the wrong patient, the priority is to protect the patient and the accuracy of the lab result. The proper action is to stop the process, notify a supervisor, document exactly what happened (including patient identifiers, time, specimen type, and why you suspect mislabeling), quarantine the mislabelled specimen so it isn’t tested or reported, and recollect from the correct patient if possible using proper patient verification (two identifiers, correct matching information). Follow the lab’s incident reporting and chain-of-custody procedures to ensure the mislabelled sample is handled safely and the correct specimen is obtained.

Discarding without documentation risks losing traceability and patient safety; proceeding with analysis on a mislabelled sample could lead to a wrong diagnosis; labeling the specimen as the right patient hides the error and is unsafe. The described action directly protects patient safety and maintains lab integrity.