Basic Laboratory Training Program: A Tool to Reduce the Laboratory Errors and Improving Patient Safety

Aim and objectives: Medical and laboratory errors can be caused by many reasons, including inadequate training of the staff members, communication problems, improper sample identification, and unawareness of various quality indicators.Handling of samples in the laboratory is divided into 3 phases-preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical.This study was conducted for medical laboratory technology (MLT) students, and the training program included all 3 phases of the laboratory.To find out the effectiveness of basic laboratory training programs for reducing laboratory errors and improving patient safety by creating awareness of quality indicators in the laboratory.Materials and methods: The study was conducted for MLT students, who collect and process blood samples in a 24-hour clinical biochemistry laboratory at a tertiary care hospital.We prepared the checklist for all 3 phases, and the responses were recorded before and after the training program.Statistical analysis: For statistical analysis, tabulation and charts were created using Microsoft Excel.The pretraining and post-training scores were compared using a paired t-test.Results: The checklist score of each student was noted down before and after training.Mean and standard deviation in the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical phase were noted down before and after training.The comparison was done by paired sample t-test p-value (< 0.001).The scoring was significantly improved after the training program.Conclusion: By providing adequate training to all laboratory personnel regularly, it is possible to significantly reduce laboratory errors and improve quality indicators.Clinical significance: By improving the quality of laboratory reports, we can improve patient care and safety.