Reducing rejected laboratory specimens

Look at this Infection Sciences Quick Reference Guide:

Infection Sciences Quick Reference Guide

See if your area has something similar already.

Discuss the guide with your local Microbiology Department.

If there is not a similar guide already, would they be interested in adapting this one for use in your area?  If there is one already, would they be interested in working together to publicise it further and raise staff awareness of it?  Can they give you current data on rejected specimens so that any improvements can be measured?

Produce a suitable guide.

Work with the Microbiology team and wider Infection Sciences team to do this.

Discuss with your local IT department

Discuss the possibility of adding information about sample collection (e.g. correct specimen pot, if sample can be stored overnight or needs to be collected at a certain time of day) and a link to the guide on the IT test requesting platform.  This might be as an electronic ‘pop-up’ or embedded in the test request screen.  This would remind clinicians requesting tests e.g. GPs and the phlebotomists and HCAs collecting the samples.

Publicise the guide and pop-ups to staff

Especially nurses and HCAs in primary care.  This might be done by uploading it to the local guidelines’ website, GP & nurse educational events, newsletters, practice clinical meetings, placing printed guides on walls in nurse rooms etc.

Re-check the data on rejected specimens

Analyse if any changes have happened.  If not, why not?  If yes, how can they be sustained?  Ask the Microbiology department to keep the guideline up to date and to keep publicising it at regular intervals.  Use the Project Monitoring form to keep track of when to review the project in future.