Quality of the specimens received at the histopathology laboratory of Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ragama

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The accuracy of the histopathology reporting depends on the completeness of the request forms and the condition of specimens. OBJECTIVE: To assess the completeness of pathology request forms and the condition of specimens received by a university pathology laboratory. METHODS: This cross sectional study was conducted at the pathology laboratory of a medical faculty in Sri Lanka. We included 342 consecutive specimens received from the professorial units of the teaching hospital during the study period, September to November 2014. Data were collected using a checklist consisting of 10 items for the request form, 6 for the label, 7 for the container and sample. SPSS16.2 was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Only 56.1% had completed request forms. Patients’ sex and a short clinical history with a probable diagnosis were missing in12.6% and 24.6% respectively. Labeling was incomplete in 14.6% and date of specimen collection was missing in 11.4%. Compatibility of the 6 items on the label with the request form was observed in 71.3%, most mismatched item was the date of specimen collection (17%). Appropriate container was used in 89.5%. Inadequate amount of fixative was found in 13.2% of specimens. Only 24% of specimens fulfilled all requirements. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the quality of the specimens is poor mainly due to the incomplete request forms, poor labelling and use of inappropriate containers. Redesigning the request form and introducing printed labels and standard set of containers may improve the quality of specimens.