Post-analytical issues in hemostasis and thrombosis testing: An update

There are typically three phases identified as contributing to the total testing process. The preanalytical phase starts with the clinician and the patient, when laboratory testing is being considered. This phase also includes decisions about which tests to order (or not), patient identification, blood collection, blood transport, sample processing, and storage to name a few. There are many potential failures that may occur in this preanalytical phase, and these are the topic of another chapter in this book. The second phase, the analytical phase, represents the performance of the test, which is essentially covered in various protocols in this book and the previous edition. The third is the post-analytical phase, which is what occurs after sample testing, and is the topic of the current chapter. Post-analytical issues are generally related to reporting and interpretation of test results. This chapter provides a brief description of these events, as well as guidance for preventing or minimizing post-analytical issues. In particular, there are several strategies for improved post-analytical reporting of hemostasis assays, with this providing the final opportunity to prevent serious clinical errors in patient diagnosis or management.