Medical errors also occur in the analytic processes and systems of patient care.

Analytic errors begin with problems in the transportation of medical samples for testing. These occur between the patient's location and the testing facility. They happen during the time between specimen collection and arrival in the testing facility.

The possibility for analytic medical error continues through the analytic processes and procedures of medical testing.

Analytic medical error also includes systems, processes, and procedures involved in the transmission and reporting of test results.

These medical errors occur during the time the laboratory is directly involved in receiving, analyzing, and reporting test samples.

Examples:

• Wrong transport storage or temperature


• Delay in transport


• Sample mixup during transport
  
• Acceptance of unacceptable samples that are insufficient, hemolyzed, or clotted


• Centrifugation, mixing, and other test sample preparation errors


• Wrong test procedures
  
• Test control errors


• Sample mixup during testing


• Outdated reagents


• Wrong reagents


• Test result mixup


• Transcription errors


• Data reporting process errors


• Result report delays