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Reducing errors in pathology reporting

Clinical interpretation is the pathologist’s domain — but operational errors (wrong ID, wrong template, outdated reference range) create risk and rework. Here are practical controls labs of any size can implement alongside a modern LIS.

1. One patient, one ID per visit

Re-using yesterday’s slip or merging two OPD files causes classic mix-ups. Software should make re-printing labels cheap and fast so staff never “save paper” at the cost of identity.

2. Template and reference range governance

Assign one person to approve changes to report formats, units (mg/dL vs SI), and footnotes. Version history in software beats Excel files on a shared drive that nobody remembers to update.

3. Instrument interface hygiene

If analysers push results automatically, validate mapping whenever a new test is added. A single wrong channel mapping can silently misfile hundreds of rows before anyone notices.

4. Authorisation rules

Separate “draft” from “final” states. Junior staff should not be able to release patient-facing PDFs without a pathologist or authorised signatory action where your policy requires it.

5. Kidney function reporting context

When creatinine-based estimates are shared with patients or GPs, use standardised equations and clear disclaimers. You can point clinicians to educational tools such as our eGFR calculator (CKD-EPI 2021) for quick estimates — not a replacement for lab validation.

6. Weekly incident review (15 minutes)

Log near-misses without blame. Patterns (“always at 7 PM shift change”) tell you where to add a checklist or a second pair of eyes — cheaper than medico-legal stress later.

Explore software features that support structured workflows, or book a demo to see how MyPathologic handles reporting and access control.