CLSI Publishes New General Laboratory Document GP33—Accuracy in Patient and Specimen Identification

Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA—The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute has published GP33—Accuracy in Patient and Specimen Identification. GP33 specifies the processes required to ensure accurate patient and specimen identification in manual or electronic systems across health care organizations. Processes include system design considerations, differences in requirements for patients with or without ID bands, and provisions for patients with communication barriers. Guidance on bar-code system implementation and user training is included. Validation of patient identification systems or programs and ongoing monitoring as a quality measure are also covered.

This standard is intended for providers and health care personnel who collect and label diagnostic samples and who design, select, implement, monitor, and/or evaluate patient and specimen identification systems.

Sheryl Thiessen, MT(ASCP), CLQM, BSMT, MLS(CSMLS), CLM, a member of GP33’s Document Development Committee, said: “Clinicians rely on the laboratory to provide accurate and reliable test results in order to treat the patient appropriately. Accurate patient identification is the first critical step to providing the right health care treatment for every patient. The consequences of an identification error can significantly impact an individual’s future health.”

   

 CLSI sets the standard for quality in medical laboratory testing. A not-for-profit membership organization, CLSI brings together the global laboratory community for the advancement of a common cause: to foster excellence in laboratory medicine.       

For nearly 50 years, our members, volunteers, and customers have made CLSI a respected, transformative leader in the development and implementation of medical laboratory testing standards. Through our unified efforts, we will continue to set and uphold the standards that drive quality test results, enhance patient care delivery, and improve health care around the world.    

By using CLSI standards, laboratorians can improve process quality, speed the development of standard operating procedures, and implement safer practices with greater ease and efficiency.