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. 2020 Dec;12(3):178-183.
doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1720945. Epub 2020 Nov 23.

Questionnaire-based Study to Assess Knowledge of Preanalytical Phase of Laboratory Testing Among Trainee Doctors in a Tertiary Care Hospital Medical College

Kalpana Ketan Kulkarni  1 , Anup Pravin Bhandari  1 , Ashwin Keshavan Unni  1
Affiliations

Questionnaire-based Study to Assess Knowledge of Preanalytical Phase of Laboratory Testing Among Trainee Doctors in a Tertiary Care Hospital Medical College

Kalpana Ketan Kulkarni et al. J Lab Physicians. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Objective To determine the knowledge base of common laboratory practices related to preanalytical phase of laboratory testing among medical interns and first-year postgraduate residents in a tertiary care hospital medical college. Materials and methods Questionnaire-based survey on preanalytical phase of laboratory testing was conducted among 208 participants, who volunteered and were MBBS interns and first-year postgraduate residents in a medical college, over the period from June 2018 to December 2019. A total of 15-item, multiple-choice questions (MCQs) were included, of which four were opinion-based and not considered for analysis. Responses were further categorized based on percentages with correct response, so we could identify specific knowledge points which need training. Statistical analysis Results were analyzed using Microsoft Excel functions and a simple calculator. Results A total of 208 participants were included in the study, which consisted of an equal number of interns (104) and first-year postgraduate residents (104). The term "preanalytical error" was known to 62.5% of participants. Only 9.62% participants took formal training in phlebotomy. Topics related to questions like coagulation testing, ideal fasting duration, mixing of blood, and order of draw received less than 40% correct response which meant that it requires more training. Conclusions In this era of evidence-based medicine, central laboratory plays a pivotal role in patient management, and quality of laboratory results are of paramount importance. Over a period of time, automation technology has reduced analytical phase errors to the minimum. Most errors reported are part of the preanalytical phase, and it has been found that a majority of them are committed due to a lack of knowledge and skills. In order to improve the preanalytical phase and make it as error-free as possible, the staff (technicians, nurses, and trainee doctors) should be constantly motivated and trained.

Keywords: Preanalytical error; automation; coagulation testing; order of draw; questionnaire.

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Conflict of interest statement

Details of Earlier PresentationAuthor's role/participation in the authorship of the manuscriptConflicts of Interest None. First author: concept and manuscript preparation. Second author: Conducting study and result analysis, preparing manuscript, and carrying out correspondence. Third author: Conducting study and compiling result. Dr. Bhandari reports grants from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under short-term studentship (STS) outside the submitted work. Dr. Kulkarni reports grants from ICMR under STS outside the submitted work. Dr. Unni reports grants from ICMR under STS outside the submitted work.

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