Reducing Latent Errors in Laboratory Services

Bonnie Messinger, ARUP's quality manager, and Peggy Ahlin, ARUP's director of Quality and Compliance, discuss how latent errors in the laboratory can lead to multiple active errors in the July 2009 issue of the Clinical Laboratory News. Latent errors can occur in various categories, including staffing, equipment, policy and procedure, and staffing.

• Therefore, to maximize the impact of quality improvement efforts, laboratorians should focus on sources of latent errors, which can help eliminate many active errors. See more
  
  (Clinical Laboratory News. “Patient Safety Focus: More on Latent Errors in Laboratory Services .” July 2009.)