Reducing Turnaround Time of Clinical Laboratory Analysis Through Use of Efficient Blood Collection Techniques
Graduation Date
5-2018
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department or Program
Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Department or Program Chair
Mary Sevigny, PhD
First Reader
Yonas Habte CLS, MS
Second Reader
Maria C. DeSousa, JD, MPA, CLS
Abstract
Clinical Laboratory departments continually strive to improved processes in order to help decrease wait time to assist medical providers to focus on immediate therapeutic treatments especially for the critically-ill patients. Although purchasing of top-of-the line laboratory analyzers are common to keep pace with technological demand, the key could also be found through low-cost solutions such as reducing centrifugation time of blood specimens, pneumatic tube system installations, and enhanced blood collection techniques where tube conversion from serum-to-plasma and the volume of blood specimen required during phlebotomy may provide the resolution to a more efficient process. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate effective laboratory blood collection processes and how streamlining these methods in an efficient manner can reduce analytical turnaround time. This research will also attempt to prove on-average how much time blood panel testing can save during 8-hours work shifts through the use of mint-top collection tubes that carries 3.0 ml lithium heparin with gel separator versus industry-standard 8.5 mL serum with gel separator tubes.
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