Pre-preanalytical error and patient safety: an important concern for diabetic care

Laboratory investigation plays an important role in diabetic care. Laboratory results are required for diagnosis, monitoring and followi up of the diabetic patient. To have a good diabetic management, accurate and reliable laboratory tests are required. Based on the principle of laboratory medicine, quality management covering all phases of laboratory analysis; preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical phases is very important. However, there are also other additional concerns. The pre-preanalytical management for diabetic laboratories is a good example. Basically, pre-preanalytical errors in diabetic testing are fairly common and this is an important issue in the area of patient safety. In this article, the author reviews and discusses prepreanalytical errors and patient safety.