Which of the following is NOT a pre-analytical error?

Prepare for the Medical Laboratory Science Module 1 Exam. Test your knowledge with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, complete with hints and explanations. Get confident for your test!

Timing of errors in the lab workflow is what this item tests: pre-analytical errors occur before the specimen is analyzed. Improper patient identification jeopardizes matching the right results to the correct patient, which is a pre-analytical problem because it happens before any testing. Prolonged tourniquet time leads to hemoconcentration, changing analyte concentrations before analysis and thus is also a pre-analytical issue. Specimen mislabeling directly affects the sample’s identity before testing begins, making it a classic pre-analytical error. Delayed result reporting to the Laboratory Information System lies in the post-analytical phase, after analysis is completed and results are ready to be reported. Therefore, delaying result reporting is not a pre-analytical error.