A importância da etapa pré-analítica no exame de urina: revisão narrativa

Abstract

The clinical laboratory plays a fundamental role in promoting health. Therefore, understanding the laboratory examination as a complex process composed of several stages is essential, as failures at any stage can compromise patient safety, in addition to causing embarrassment and increasing costs. Thus, it is in the interest of society that laboratories operate in accordance with high standards of professional competence and ethics. It is well known that approximately 70% of laboratory errors occur in the pre-analytical phase, due to variables related to the behaviour of professionals and the biological conditions of the patient. This study is justified by the need to promote changes in the team's behaviour, with the aim of highlighting the role of automation in the field of urinalysis and identifying the most frequent pre-analytical errors. The review was conducted through research in databases, following the PICo methodology, and after analysing and selecting the data, 9 articles were chosen to support this research. The results indicate that standardisation and harmonisation of guidelines are essential, as well as the pursuit of new methods to help minimise the interference caused by pre-analytical errors. It is concluded that, although automation cannot correct most errors, the implementation of internal and external quality control practices is crucial to reducing these errors.