Clinical laboratory is the epicenter of health care sector and because patient management depends on the laboratory services, it is significant that the quality of these services is guaranteed. However, in the laboratory setting, blood specimens may be rejected for a variety of reasons, which may have substantial clinical consequences for the patient safety. The pre-analytical phase which is outside of the laboratory and beyond the control of the laboratory professionals has been highlighted as the leading contributor of diagnostics errors rates, accounting for 70% of errors in the laboratory. This study aimed to determine the major causes of pre-analytical errors because of sample collection among clinicians in Erongo Region.

The cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among the state doctors and nurses at district hospitals in Erongo Region with a sample size of 14 doctors and 153 Nurses. The study further assessed the data of sample rejections recorded at the four NIP laboratories within the Erongo region, in 2020 and 2021. The data was collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 25.0 program.

During the two year period (2020 –2021), NIP Walvis Bay had a significant improvement (38.4%) of sample rejections in 2021 as compared to 2020, however, the laboratory recorded the highest rejection rates in comparison to the other laboratories in the region. Missing specimen/ no specimen received had been the most predominant reason for sample rejections among the laboratories in the region accounting for 21.2% and 28.5% of rejected samples in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Lack of specimen collecting materials had an influence on the sample rejections.

To reduce the sample rejections, NIP need to focus on strengthening the relationship with the clinicians by constantly providing adequate training and education and ensure the availability of sufficient materials required in the collection of patients’ samples by the district clinicians. It is further recommended that the clinicians engage or consult with the laboratories to seek clarity on the collection and handling of samples to avoid more sample rejections.

Keywords: Pre-analytical errors, Sample rejections, Rejection rate, Sample collection, Specimen