Ensuring patient care improvement, optimal diagnostic test yield and precise treatment guidance hinges on properly collecting specimens. Training healthcare professionals in standard specimen collection procedures is pivotal for effective disease control and prevention. Microbiology labs frequently reported receiving poor specimen quality from Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH), highlighting a significant issue and leading to false positive and negative results.
Addressing and rectifying these issues in the pre-analytical phase is crucial for maintaining the accuracy and reliability of laboratory outcomes. The Global One Health initiative (GOHi) conducted training sessions to enhance the skills of nurses working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on proper specimen collection techniques. A total of 20 selected staff members from the NICUs of TASH underwent this training on December 14, 2023.
The sessions included both didactic lecture presentations and hands-on practical demonstration sessions. This workshop will help nurses implement appropriate specimen-collection practices within their respective wards and minimize specimen contamination and rejections, contributing to more reliable laboratory results.