Potential preanalytical and analytical vulnerabilities in the laboratory diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Giuseppe Lippi; Ana-Maria Simundic; Mario Plebani

Commentary

Potential preanalytical and analytical vulnerabilities in the laboratory diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

April 29, 2020

Lippi G, Simundic A-M, Plebani M. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2020;58(7):1070-1076.

View more articles from the same authors.

This paper discusses potential vulnerabilities in the laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, such as sample misidentification, inappropriate or inadequate sample collection, sample contamination, as well as the challenges to the diagnostic accuracy of current COVID-19 tests.

PubMed citation

Free full text

Related Resources From the Same Author(s)

Patient identification and tube labelling—a call for harmonisation.

August 10, 2016

Causes, consequences, detection, and prevention of identification errors in laboratory diagnostics.

April 22, 2009

Towards a new paradigm in laboratory medicine: the five rights.

December 21, 2016

Quality indicators to detect pre-analytical errors in laboratory testing.

September 12, 2012

January 9, 2019

Errors in a stat laboratory: changes in type and frequency since 1996.

June 13, 2007

Managing the patient identification crisis in healthcare and laboratory medicine.

March 22, 2017

Identifying risk in the use of tumor markers to improve patient safety.

May 4, 2016

From COVID-19 pandemic to patient safety: a new "spring" for telemedicine or a boomerang effect?

July 27, 2022

The association of patient safety climate and nurse-related organizational factors with selected patient outcomes: a cross-sectional survey.

June 27, 2012

High reliability leadership: a conceptual framework.

August 16, 2017

Prevalence of medication administration errors in two medical units with automated prescription and dispensing.

September 28, 2011

Robotic dispensing improves patient safety, inventory management, and staff satisfaction in an outpatient hospital pharmacy.

September 12, 2018

An adverse event trigger tool in dentistry: a new methodology for measuring harm in the dental office.

August 14, 2013

Nurses' perceptions and demands regarding COVID-19 care delivery in critical care units and hospital emergency services.

December 2, 2020

Telemedicine as a medical examination tool during the Covid-19 emergency: the experience of the onco-haematology center of Tor Vergata Hospital in Rome.

December 23, 2020

Enhancing pediatric safety: using simulation to assess radiology resident preparedness for anaphylaxis from intravenous contrast media.

October 31, 2007

Causes of errors in the electrocardiographic diagnosis of atrial fibrillation by physicians.

March 14, 2007

Medication reconciliation for patients after their discharge from intensive care unit to the hospital ward.

July 19, 2023

Technology-induced errors associated with computerized provider order entry software for older patients.

August 23, 2017

Gender biases and diagnostic delay in inflammatory bowel disease: multicenter observational study.

February 15, 2023

Open wide: looking into the safety culture of dental school clinics.

July 9, 2014

Surgeon-specific mortality data disguise wider failings in delivery of safe surgical services.

November 19, 2014

Medication errors and drug-dispensing systems in a hospital pharmacy.

September 21, 2005

The effect of external inspections on safety in acute hospitals in the National Health Service in England: a controlled interrupted time-series analysis.

August 14, 2019

Reducing medication errors for adults in hospital settings.

December 15, 2021

Using a human factors framework to assess clinician perceptions of and barriers to high reliability in hand hygiene.

June 14, 2023

Allergic adverse drug events after alert overrides in hospitalized patients.

September 21, 2022

Anticoagulation patient safety goal compliance at a university health system: methods for achieving the goal.

September 23, 2009

Transcription errors of blood glucose values and insulin errors in an intensive care unit: secondary data analysis toward electronic medical record–glucometer interoperability.

May 29, 2019

Rooting an error review process in just culture: lessons learned.

October 5, 2022

Accuracy of send-out test ordering: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of ordering accuracy in 97 clinical laboratories.

March 12, 2008

Risks and medication errors analysis to evaluate the impact of a chemotherapy compounding workflow management system on cancer patients' safety.

February 26, 2020

Incorporating nursing complexity in reimbursement coding systems: the potential impact on missed care.

October 25, 2017

Risk of medication safety incidents with antibiotic use measured by defined daily doses.

December 11, 2013

Patient and hospital characteristics associated with delayed diagnosis of appendicitis.

February 1, 2023

Using Failure Mode, Effect and Criticality Analysis to improve safety in the cancer treatment prescription and administration process.

March 8, 2023

SBAR improves communication and safety climate and decreases incident reports due to communication errors in an anaesthetic clinic: a prospective intervention study.

February 12, 2014

Developing a programme for medication reconciliation at the time of admission into hospital.

September 7, 2011

The impact of electronic health record interoperability on safety and quality of care in high-income countries: systematic review.

October 5, 2022

Clinical dental faculty members' perceptions of diagnostic errors and how to avoid them.

May 23, 2018

Implementing situation-background-assessment-recommendation in an anaesthetic clinic and subsequent information retention among receivers: a prospective interventional study of postoperative handovers.

June 1, 2016

Registered nurses' and medical doctors' experiences of patient safety in health information exchange during interorganizational care transitions: a qualitative review.

November 10, 2021

Higher incidence of adverse events in isolated patients compared with non-isolated patients: a cohort study.

November 18, 2020

Using four-phased unit-based patient safety walkrounds to uncover correctable system flaws.

August 21, 2013

Nearing zero...reducing grade C medication errors.

July 23, 2014

Hospitalizations and deaths related to adverse drug events worldwide: systematic review of studies with national coverage.

May 25, 2022

Perceptions of chief clinical information officers on the state of electronic health records systems interoperability in NHS England: a qualitative interview study.

September 27, 2023

Intraoperative code blue: improving teamwork and code response through interprofessional, in situ simulation.

October 26, 2022

COVID-19 hospital outbreaks: protecting healthcare workers to protect frail patients. An Italian observational cohort study.

February 3, 2021

Hospital-based transfusion error tracking from 2005 to 2010: identifying the key errors threatening patient transfusion safety.

March 26, 2014

Patients' willingness and ability to identify and respond to errors in their personal health records: mixed methods analysis of cross-sectional survey data.

July 27, 2022

Impact of providing patients access to electronic health records on quality and safety of care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

July 8, 2020

Boosting medical diagnostics by pooling independent judgments.

August 17, 2016

Communication on safe caregiving between community nurse case managers and family caregivers.

April 7, 2021

Teaching students to administer medications safely.

April 19, 2017

COVID-19: making the right diagnosis.

August 5, 2020

Impact of simulation-based closed-loop communication training on medical errors in a pediatric emergency department.

May 6, 2020

Exploring care left undone in pediatric nursing.

September 28, 2022

Risk management and patient safety in the artificial intelligence era: a systematic review.

March 27, 2024

Specimen labeling errors: a Q-probes analysis of 147 clinical laboratories.

November 12, 2008

Distractions in the anesthesia work environment: impact on patient safety? Report of a meeting sponsored by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.

June 28, 2017

Medication safety and the administration of intravenous vincristine: international survey of oncology pharmacists.

February 26, 2014

A narrative review of strategies to increase patient safety event reporting by residents.

September 30, 2020

Patient safety when receiving telephone advice in primary care - a Swedish qualitative interview study.

February 23, 2022

Identification of adverse events at an orthopedics department in Sweden.

July 30, 2008

Discrepancies between clinical diagnoses and autopsy findings in critically ill children: a prospective study.

March 15, 2017

May 4, 2022

Effectiveness and safety of pulse oximetry in remote patient monitoring of patients with COVID-19: a systematic review.

April 20, 2022

Learning from complaints in healthcare: a realist review of academic literature, policy evidence and front-line insights.

February 26, 2020

Clinical and economic impact of medication reconciliation in cancer patients: a systematic review.

April 22, 2020

Continuing education in patient safety: massive open online courses as a new training tool.

October 21, 2015

Predictive power of the "trigger tool" for the detection of adverse events in general surgery: a multicenter observational validation study.

March 9, 2022

Enhancing pediatric safety: assessing and improving resident competency in life-threatening events with a computer-based interactive resuscitation tool.

July 8, 2009

Assessment of patients' ability to review electronic health record information to identify potential errors: cross-sectional web-based survey.

March 10, 2021

Safety implications of remote assessments for suspected COVID-19: qualitative study in UK primary care.

March 23, 2022

Characteristics of critical incident reporting systems in primary care: an international survey.

January 19, 2022

Smartphone distraction during nursing care: systematic literature review.

April 7, 2021

Standardizing medication reconciliation in a pediatric emergency department.

February 14, 2024

Outcomes and patient safety in overlapping vs. nonoverlapping total joint arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

January 19, 2022

PSYCH: a mnemonic to help psychiatric residents decrease patient handoff communication errors.

June 29, 2016

Root causes of errors in a simulated prehospital pediatric emergency.

February 29, 2012

Medication errors reported in a pediatric intensive care unit for oncologic patients.

September 14, 2011

Facilitators and barriers of care transitions - comparing the perspectives of hospital and community healthcare staff.

June 16, 2021

'More than words' - interpersonal communication, cognitive bias and diagnostic errors.

August 11, 2021

Intervention study for the reduction of medication errors in elderly trauma patients.

September 2, 2020

July 5, 2023

Use and impact of virtual primary care on quality and safety: the public's perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

January 12, 2022

Spinal surgery complications: an unsolved problem-Is the World Health Organization Safety Surgical Checklist an useful tool to reduce them?

December 4, 2019

Development of a trigger tool to identify adverse drug events in elderly patients with multimorbidity.

August 30, 2017

Effect of automated unit dose dispensing with barcode scanning on medication administration errors: an uncontrolled before-and-after study.

December 1, 2021

How RNs rescue patients: a qualitative study of RNs' perceived involvement in rapid response teams.

May 12, 2010

A practical guide to Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in health care: making the most of the team and its meetings.

August 4, 2010

Hospital safety climate and safety behavior: a social exchange perspective.

September 27, 2017

A qualitative evaluation of healthcare professionals' perceptions of adverse events focusing on communication and teamwork in maternity care.

March 27, 2019

Patient-reported safety incidents in older patients with long-term conditions: a large cross-sectional study.

June 14, 2017

A quality improvement initiative to reduce safety events among adolescents hospitalized after a suicide attempt.

May 15, 2019

Medication errors in an intensive care unit.

May 20, 2009

Delayed flow is a risk to patient safety: a mixed method analysis of emergency department patient flow.

January 20, 2021

Coping strategies in health care providers as second victims: a systematic review.

August 4, 2021

Related Resources

Diagnostic errors in musculoskeletal oncology and possible mitigation strategies.

May 24, 2023

Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report.

May 10, 2023

Delays in care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Veterans Health Administration.

May 3, 2023

Speaking up during the COVID-19 pandemic: nurses' experiences of organizational disregard and silence.

February 1, 2023

The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic.

October 12, 2022

From COVID-19 pandemic to patient safety: a new "spring" for telemedicine or a boomerang effect?

July 27, 2022

Racial and ethnic discrepancy in pulse oximetry and delayed identification of treatment eligibility among patients with COVID-19.

June 22, 2022

Missed nursing care in the critical care unit, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative cross-sectional study.

June 22, 2022

Clinic design for safety during the pandemic: safety or teamwork, can we only pick one?

May 11, 2022

Safety implications of remote assessments for suspected COVID-19: qualitative study in UK primary care.

March 23, 2022

Ambulatory virtual care during a pandemic: patient safety considerations.

March 9, 2022

The abrupt expansion of ambulatory telemedicine: implications for patient safety.

February 9, 2022

Use and impact of virtual primary care on quality and safety: the public's perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

January 12, 2022

Patient Safety Primers

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Diagnostic Error

January 11, 2022

Ensuring primary care diagnostic quality in the era of telemedicine.

October 27, 2021

Patient-safety incidents during COVID-19 health crisis in France: An exploratory sequential multi-method study in primary care.

July 21, 2021

Missed nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative observational study.

July 21, 2021

COVID-19 and open notes: a new method to enhance patient safety and trust.

July 7, 2021

Missing diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a year in review.

June 23, 2021

Machine learning is booming in medicine. It’s also facing a credibility crisis.

June 16, 2021

Human factors and ergonomics to improve performance in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 2, 2021

Identifying barriers to and opportunities for telehealth implementation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by using a human factors approach: a leap into the future of health care delivery?

May 5, 2021

WebM&M Cases

A Postpartum Woman with an Erroneous SARS-CoV-2 Test

April 28, 2021

Leadership through crisis: fighting the fatigue pandemic in healthcare during COVID-19.

March 31, 2021

What COVID-19 teaches us about implicit bias in pediatric health care.

February 24, 2021

Risk of misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis with COVID-19: a syndemic approach.

February 10, 2021

Will the COVID-19 pandemic transform infection prevention and control in surgery? Seeking leverage points for organizational learning.

January 27, 2021

Healthcare failure mode and effect analysis (HFMEA) as an effective mechanism in preventing infection caused by accompanying caregivers during COVID-19-experience of a city medical center in Taiwan.

January 27, 2021

Patient harm during COVID-19 pandemic: using a human factors lens to promote patient and workforce safety.

December 23, 2020

Telemedicine as a medical examination tool during the Covid-19 emergency: the experience of the onco-haematology center of Tor Vergata Hospital in Rome.

December 23, 2020

See More About The Topic

Ambulatory Clinic or Office

Clinical Technologists

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Public Health

Infectious Diseases

Potential preanalytical and analytical vulnerabilities in the laboratory diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Diagnostic Error

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Potential preanalytical and analytical vulnerabilities in the laboratory diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Diagnostic Error

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue Logged In

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue logged in

New Users to the PSNet site