Standardization of blood tube closure colors may be important in reducing tube selection errors of non-laboratory personnel

Abstract

Abstract Errors in laboratory medicine contribute significantly to the overall risk of errors in healthcare. The majority of these laboratory errors occur in the pre-analytical phase. Control of pre-analytical variables is difficult because many steps are outside the control of the laboratory management. Pre-analytical errors may be reduced by active monitoring and control of all possible errors that are caused by non-laboratory personnel drawing blood, continuous training, use of quality indicators and implementation of standard procedures. Non-laboratory personnel make blood collection tube selection mostly according to the closure color, so standardization of color coding for blood tube closures could help reduce sample collection errors. It is important that European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine calls all stakeholders in the healthcare sector to harmonize color coding for blood collection tube closures. Non-laboratory personnel drawing blood can be taught the additives in blood tubes and their functions to reduce errors during the sample collection stage. In addition, standardization of the closure colors of blood tubes should be supported, and non-laboratory personnel drawing blood should be informed when there is a change in the tube closure colors used by the hospital until this standardization is achieved.