Evaluation of Histopathology Laboratory Request Forms in a North -Central Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria- A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The laboratory request form is a tool of communication between the clinician and the laboratory, and when some critical information are missing, it may cause delays, increase turnaround time (TAT), and even affect the quality of laboratory diagnosis. Recent efforts in reporting the extent of missing data in laboratory request forms had excluded histopathology laboratories. This study therefore attempts to fill this knowledge gap by providing baseline information on the phenomenon in a tertiary institution’s histopathology laboratory.

AIM:This study investigated the completeness or otherwise of the laboratory request form data routinely sent to the histopathology laboratory in one of Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals.

METHODS: Six hundred and twenty-nine (629) laboratory request forms (LRF) of the 1,176 specimens sent to the Histopathology Laboratory, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria in 2018 were randomly retrieved and assessed for completeness using performance indicators such as patient identifiers, Physician details, test request details, laboratory details and institutional details.  Data were computed in terms of percentages.

RESULTS: Of the 629 forms evaluated, 67.6% was incomplete while 32.4% was complete.  Among the incomplete forms, patient identifier, ward (location) was leading with a figure of 54.5% followed by Physician details, 31%. Information on patient name, age, histology laboratory number, sex and date received was 100% complete.

CONCLUSION: The level of completion of histopathology laboratory request forms investigated was found to be substandard. Improved communication among stakeholders, technological innovations and five-year retrospective study recommended for wider data spread.