In healthcare, timing has the potential to enable early intervention or miss an opportunity altogether. Accurate and timely specimen collection is important for effective diagnostics. Proper specimen collection and transport methods influence patient outcomes, regardless of whether the specimen is blood, urine, or tissue.
This article will analyse the role of prompt specimen collection and transport in diagnostics. Additionally, we will discuss the impact of MSI Health Solutions’ same-day delivery and real-time tracking services regarding compliance and patient care.
The role of specimen collection is crucial to achieving accurate results.
Each specimen needs to be collected and handled with precision to acquire the most accurate results. Special care must be administered during collection to maintain the integrity of the sample for reliable results to be produced. If any errors are made at this stage, a misdiagnosis becomes highly probable, treatments are delayed and there is wasteful expenditure on healthcare.
Blood sample collection has to be done with utmost care to ensure it is stored at the right temperature. If stored at the incorrect temperatures, hemolysis will occur and make test results unreliable. To ensure no contamination, urine samples should be collected midstream. Tissue biopsies should be preserved immediately to avoid degradation.
Effects of Specimen Transport Delays on Patient Care
Specimen transport delays can cause sample degradation, which results in erroneous outcomes and protracted diagnoses, especially in infectious disease testing, where prompt diagnosis is critical for treatment initiation and infection control.
The Journal of Patient Safety and Infection Control has received reports of false conclusions caused by specimen mismanagement and unnecessary delays.
Lippincott Journals
As highlighted in a publication by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, approximately 20% of all patient-clinician interactions have some form of erroneous analysis or unreasonably prolonged analysis overlooked, demonstrating the extreme need for timely transport of specimens to the laboratory.
PMC
The Impact of Delay in Diagnosis on Financial and Legal Aspects
Aside from health implications, unnecessary postponement of decision-making impacts patient life enormously in an economic and legal context. Neglecting or misinterpreting critical clinical information leads patients to undergo superfluous procedures, extend their hospital stay, pay more than necessary, or worse, become victims of malpractice legal suits.
Needle Tube
The Every Life Foundation for Rare Diseases states that a missed diagnosis may potentially incur avoidable costs exceeding $517,000 in economic burden for each individual.
Every Life Foundation
MSI Health Solutions: Enhancing Specimen Transport Efficiency
MSI Health Solutions alleviates these problems with dependable and effective transport services for specimens.
Their offerings include
Real-Time Tracking: Enhances accountability by allowing tracking of specimens while en route, therefore preventing loss or delays.
24/7 Servicing: Services healthcare institutions during off-peak hours to ensure timely specimen transport without incurring delays.
These services aid in the preservation of the chain of custody and compliance with the healthcare system.
The Role of Technology in Specimen Transport
Technology changes have revolutionised specimen transport. Tracking technology enables service providers to monitor specimens while in transit, ensuring their timely delivery, thus minimising errors.
To illustrate, Medical Courier (MSI) is an example of a cloud-based specimen tracking and courier management system created for medical laboratories. It allows tracking of a specimen during its transit, electronic verification of delivery, and even the creation of special notes to accompany the delivery, improving trust in the transport of the specimen.
As noted in the primary section
Accurate specimen gathering and transport are one of the most important activities in the efficient diagnosis and patient management. The process done incorrectly or late can incur significant costs, such as wrong diagnosis or treatment, expenditure on healthcare services, litigation issues, and more.
According to MSI Health Solutions, same-day delivery, real-time tracking, lab transport, and 24/7 accessibility all resolve the concerns mentioned above, guaranteeing safety and reliability in the transportation of specimens. When micromanaged, technology alongside healthcare best practices optimises error reduction, improves diagnostic precision, and enhances patient care.
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