Could something as simple as orange collection bins lower the incidence of our pathology specimens getting lost or damaged somewhere between the time we obtain the specimen until it is received in the pathology department? Yes, and what a difference they've made. We placed orange bins in all surgical and procedural areas so we now have a consistent location to store specimens. We also created a specimen logbook for use at all specimen collection sites. Twice daily, a charge nurse runs a report that identifies specimens that have been logged in by the nurse in the OR but not yet received in the lab.

Anastasia M. Johnson, MS, APRN, ACNS-BC, CNOR, CNS-CP
Allina Health Abbott-Northwestern Hospital
Minneapolis, Minn.
[email protected]