Laboratory Labels Research Charts

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Barcode Scanning of Specimens

Does your hospital scan barcodes on laboratory specimens for patient identification?

Yes, all of the time: 46%

Yes, most of the time: 37%

No, no barcode scanning for lab specimen: 11%

Yes, some of the time: 6%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Lab Supervisor Barcode Scanning of Specimens

Does your hospital scan barcodes on laboratory specimens for patient identification?

Yes, most of the time: 62%

Yes, all of the time: 33%

No, no barcode scanning for lab specimen: 5%

Yes, some of the time: 0%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Lab Supervisor Specimen Labeling Error Concerns

How much of a concern is specimen mislabeling for your laboratory today?

Significant concern: 62%

Moderate concern: 10%

Some concern: 19%

Of little concern: 10%

No concern: 0%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Specimen Error Contributors

Which of the following groups is the leading contributor to the specimen errors that your laboratory has experienced?

Nurses	66%
Phlebotomists	17%
Nurse Clerical Support	5%
Physicians/Physician Assistants	3%
Laboratory Assistants	2%
Laboratory Technicians	2%
Laboratory Scientists	1%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

For each item below, please rate the level of priority it has for your laboratory in 2018.

Essential High priority Medium priority Low priority Not a priority

Improving patient safety
Reducing specimen errors
Improving process efficiency
Cost reduction
New lab regulations compliance

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Specimen Errors Are Top Priorities For Labs

For each item below, please rate the level of priority it has for your laboratory in 2018.

Essential High priority Medium priority Low priority Not a priority

Improving process efficiency
Cost reduction
New lab regulations compliance
Improving patient safety
Reducing specimen errors

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors for Laboratory Managers

Which of the following types of specimen errors has your laboratory experienced?

Improper specimen collection/handling – insufficient quantity collected, improper storage, contamination of specimen	91%
Mislabeled specimen – incorrect name, contents, information, or specimen source	74%
Unlabeled specimen – missing label on specimen	68%
Incomplete specimen label – missing information on label, e.g. patient information, date, time	55%
Illegible specimen – label or barcode doesn’t read	51%
Requisition/specimen mismatched – name on specimen doesn’t match requisition	50%
Misplaced specimen – lost or misplaced specimen	46%
Missing requisition – missing requisition or orders on specimen	37%
Improper testing on specimen – wrong tests, incorrect temperature and conditions	35%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Specimen Labeling Errors Are a Key Concern

How much of a concern is specimen mislabeling for your laboratory today?

Significant concern: 53%

Moderate concern: 13%

Some concern: 25%

Of little concern: 8%

No concern: 2%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors

Which of the following types of specimen errors has your laboratory experienced?

Improper specimen collection/handling – insufficient quantity collected, improper storage, contamination of specimen	91%
Mislabeled specimen – incorrect name, contents, information, or specimen source	74%
Unlabeled specimen – missing label on specimen	70%
Incomplete specimen label – missing information on label, e.g. patient information, date, time	59%
Illegible specimen – label or barcode doesn’t read	51%
Misplaced specimen – lost or misplaced specimen	48%
Requisition/specimen mismatched – name on specimen doesn’t match requisition	48%
Missing requisition – missing requisition or orders on specimen	40%
Improper testing on specimen – wrong tests, incorrect temperature and conditions	35%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

# of Specimens Each Month by Organization Size

In a typical month, how many specimens does your laboratory process? Please provide your best estimate.

Average Response by Company Size:

Educational Institution	10667 specimens per month
Federal	74750 specimens per month
Fortune 500	26875 specimens per month
Foundation	26000 specimens per month
Large Enterprise	36152 specimens per month
Medium Enterprise	58451 specimens per month
Non-profit	52217 specimens per month
Small Business	7927 specimens per month
State & Local	26575 specimens per month
Overall Average	44304 specimens per month

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Cross-Functional Communication

Please rate how much improvement is needed in the way your laboratory currently handles communication with each group below.

	Needs significant improvement	Needs moderate improvement	Needs some improvement	Needs little improvement	Does not need improvement
Nursing/Nurse Clerical Support	15%	20%	33%	23%	9%
Phlebotomy	4%	3%	19%	45%	29%
Physician/Physician Assistant	12%	20%	35%	26%	7%
Satellite/Outpatient Lab	3%	12%	33%	34%	18%
Internal Lab Staff	3%	2%	19%	50%	26%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory Labels Customer Research

Most Common Types of Specimen Errors

Which of the following types of specimen errors has your laboratory experienced?

Improper specimen collection/handling – insufficient quantity collected, improper storage, contamination of specimen	91%
Mislabeled specimen – incorrect name, contents, information, or specimen source	74%
Unlabeled specimen – missing label on specimen	70%
Incomplete specimen label – missing information on label, e.g. patient information, date, time	59%
Illegible specimen – label or barcode doesn’t read	52%
Requisition/specimen mismatched – name on specimen doesn’t match requisition	48%
Misplaced specimen – lost or misplaced specimen	47%
Missing requisition – missing requisition or orders on specimen	40%
Improper testing on specimen – wrong tests, incorrect temperature and conditions	35%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

66% of Lab Clinicians Claim Specimen Labeling Improvements Are Needed

How much improvement is needed with the way your laboratory currently handles specimen labeling?

Needs significant improvement	6%
Moderate improvement	18%
Needs some improvement	42%
Needs little improvement	27%
Does not need improvement	7%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors for Laboratory Managers

Which of the following types of specimen errors have your laboratory experienced?

Improper specimen collection / handling	89%
Mislabeled specimen	75%
Unlabeled specimen	62%
Incomplete specimen label	57%
Requisition / specimen mismatched	48%
Misplaced specimen	48%
Illegible specimen	38%
Improper testing on specimen	37%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Specimen Errors Are Top Priorities For Labs

For each item below, please rate the level of priority it has for your laboratory in 2017.

Essential High priority Medium priority Low priority Not a priority

Improving process efficiency
Cost reduction
New lab regulations compliance
Improving patient safety
Reducing specimen errors

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Specimen Errors Are Top Laboratory Priorities

For each item below, please rate the level of priority it has for your laboratory in 2017.

	Essential	High priority	Medium priority	Low priority	Not a priority
Improving process efficiency	39%	43%	13%	4%	1%
Cost reduction	40%	36%	19%	4%	1%
New lab regulations compliance	40%	36%	15%	7%	2%
Improving patient safety	62%	32%	5%	1%	0%
Reducing specimen errors	60%	30%	7%	3%	0%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

There’s Room to Improve in Consistently Using Barcoding

Does your hospital scan barcodes on laboratory specimens for patient identification?

Yes, all of the time	43%
Yes, most of the time	39%
Yes, some of the time	5%
No, no barcode scanning for lab specimen	14%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

Lab Labels Must Withstand Harsh Conditions

Thinking about the specimen labels your laboratory uses, which of the following substances and conditions have they been exposed to and survived?

Bodily fluids (e.g. blood, sweat, urine, vomit)	81%
Cold / freezing temperature	65%
Alcohol	43%
Cleaning products	33%
Hot temperature	29%
Chemicals (e.g. iodine, xylene, chlorine)	25%
Feces	14%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

Specimen Labeling Errors Are a Key Concern

How much of a concern are specimen labeling errors for your laboratory today?

Significant concern: 54%

Moderate concern: 15%

Some concern: 21%

Of little concern: 10%

No concern: 0%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

Top Causes of Specimen Labeling Errors

What are the top reasons your laboratory experienced specimen labeling errors?

Human error and distraction	94%
Patient misidentification	40%
Illegible handwriting	32%
Illegible printed information	12%
Barcode didn’t scan or read incorrectly	10%
Label fell off or not applied	10%
No barcode on label	9%

PDC Healthcare Laboratory labels Customer Research

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors

Which of the following types of specimen errors has your laboratory experienced?

Improper specimen collection / handling	86%
Mislabeled specimen	75%
Unlabeled specimen	66%
Incomplete specimen label	58%
Requisition / specimen mismatched	47%
Misplaced specimen	46%
Illegible specimen	36%
Improper testing on specimen	32%

TechValidate Research on Laboratory Labels

21 Charts

Barcode Scanning of Specimens

Lab Supervisor Barcode Scanning of Specimens

Lab Supervisor Specimen Labeling Error Concerns

Specimen Error Contributors

Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Specimen Errors Are Top Priorities For Labs

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors for Laboratory Managers

Specimen Labeling Errors Are a Key Concern

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors

# of Specimens Each Month by Organization Size

Cross-Functional Communication

Most Common Types of Specimen Errors

66% of Lab Clinicians Claim Specimen Labeling Improvements Are Needed

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors for Laboratory Managers

Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Specimen Errors Are Top Priorities For Labs

Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Specimen Errors Are Top Laboratory Priorities

There’s Room to Improve in Consistently Using Barcoding

Lab Labels Must Withstand Harsh Conditions

Specimen Labeling Errors Are a Key Concern

Top Causes of Specimen Labeling Errors

Most Common Lab Specimen Errors