Blood sampling guidelines with focus on patient safety and identification—a review.

Cornes M, Ibarz M, Ivanov H, Grankvist K. Diagnosis (Berl). 2018 Oct 13; [Epub ahead of print].

Common blood sample errors, such as mislabeling or patient misidentification, can contribute to diagnostic delays. This review highlights the importance of using open-ended questions to gather information from patients and suggests that specimens be labeled with the patient present to ensure accurate verification. A WebM&M commentary explored problems associated with mislabeled blood samples.

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