Types and frequency of preanalytical errors occurring in the hematology laboratory at Debre Tabor comprehensive specialized hospital, North Central, Ethiopia, 2025

This study assessed the types and frequency of pre-analytical errors in the hematology laboratory at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, recognizing that such errors are most common in the pre-analytical phase, significantly affecting laboratory results, which influence 60–70% of clinical decisions. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the hematology laboratory of Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from March 1 to April 30, 2025. All hematology test requests and blood samples received during routine hours were included. Pre-analytical errors were assessed using a checklist, and data were verified before entry into Epi-Data version 4.0. Analysis was carried out using STATA version 14, focusing on descriptive statistics, such as frequency and percentage. A total of 2,221 blood samples and their request forms were reviewed, with 50.11% from the inpatient department and 49.89% from the outpatient department. Only 19.45% of the forms contained complete data. While patients’ names and laboratory tests were included, critical information such as diagnosis (20.08%), date of request (8.46%), and patient age (7.16%) was missed. Additionally, 5.4% of samples were of poor quality, mainly due to insufficient volume (1.35%) and unlabeled samples (1.22%). Pre-analytical errors remain a major challenge in laboratory medicine, largely due to human factors in test requests, specimen collection, transport, and processing. In the hematology lab, 80.55% of requisition forms contained errors, while 5.4% of specimens were inadequate for analysis. Reducing these errors requires better ward–laboratory communication, the adoption of laboratory information systems, and continuous staff training with competency assessments.