CRITICAL VALUES IN HEMATOLOGY LABORATORY: CURRENT PRACTICE AND PROPOSALS FOR PROTOCOL STANDARDIZATION AT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL 1
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the current implementation of hematology critical value reporting at Children’s Hospital 1 and propose process standardization.
Methods: This retrospective descriptive study analyzed 1,127 hematology critical value notifications recorded in the Laboratory Information System from April 7, 2025 to April 30, 2026. Variables included test type, time to notify, receiving department, work shift and documentation completeness.
Results: The mean notification rate was 86.7 events per month. Four major categories accounted for 80.0% of notifications: PLT ≤10×10³/µL (37.3%), Hct ≤15% (25.6%), positive crossmatch (12.5%) and WBC ≥100×10³/µL (4.7%). Median time to notify was 36.2 minutes (IQR: 20.6-53.9); 40.2% were reported within ≤30 minutes and 21.5% exceeded 60 minutes. The LIS did not fully capture read-back confirmation, recipient role or post-notification clinical action.
Conclusions: Hematology critical value reporting is a high-frequency patient safety process in a tertiary pediatric hospital. Standardization aligned with ISO 15189:2022 and routine monitoring of closed communication indicators are needed.
Keywords
Critical values, hematology laboratory, pediatric hospital, patient safety, ISO 15189, LIS, notification
Article Details
References
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