Handling Surgical Specimens to Decrease Errors in Pathology

Errors in pathology are rare but may have disastrous consequences. They happen at any of the three stages of specimen handling: the pre-analytical stage before the specimen reaches the lab, the analytical stage when the specimen is in the lab with the pathologist for processing and interpretation, and the post-analytical stage when the result is officially reported. In this chapter, we will briefly go over the different steps a specimen goes through before reaching the lab, namely patient identification, communication between clinician and pathologist, clinical history, tissue identification and orientation, tissue preservation, and tissue transportation. We will also discuss the errors that can occur during this process and what can be done to minimize and prevent them.