Determination of the Rate and Reasons of Blood Sample Rejection in the Pre-Analytical Phase in Ruhengeri, Rwanda: A Single Center Study

Background and objectives: All three phases of laboratory testing are equally important for improving total quality management, but the pre-analytical phase is the most error-prone. This study aimed to determine the rate and reasons for blood sample rejection in the pre-analytical phase of laboratory testing in a referral hospital in Ruhengeri, Rwanda. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional and retrospective study in which 222 samples with nonconformities were discovered from 19,775 clinical samples. Various data related to the rejected samples were recorded along with nonconformities.   Results: The rate of blood sample rejection was 1.045% and 1.165% for the cross-sectional and retrospective approaches, respectively. The overall blood sample rejection rate was 1.105%. The most frequent error in the cross-sectional aspect was mislabeling (38.3%), while clotting (46.4%) was the most common cause of sample rejection in the retrospective aspect. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, the rate of blood sample rejection is high in the study area. Thus, there should be a laboratory policy for error record keeping as well as a settlement in “laboratory sentinel events” covering the total testing process.