The Use of Barcode Scanning to Improve Specimen Collection

The final paper I wrote was on the use of scanners for lab requisitions. When I was working as a Labor and Delivery nurse, we had to manually print the lab requisitions, then collect the patient’s labs, make sure we labeled it, and then send it down with the requisition slip attached to the lab. This created a delay, inpatient care. Sometimes errors would be made where specimens weren’t labeled, or specimens were missing the requisition slip. Even though I didn’t suggest this change, labor and delivery are now using scanners to collect their lab specimens. This is best practice because it helps prevent a delay in care for patients and medical errors.