If the requisition does not match the patient labels, what is the correct action?

Prepare for the CAMLPR Specimen Collection Competency Test. Practice with diverse question sets including multiple-choice and flashcards. Each question includes hints and explanations to help you become proficient before the exam.

Ensuring accurate patient identification hinges on matching the requisition to the patient labels before processing. When they don’t align, the correct action is to pause and escalate—contact the ordering clinician or supervisor to resolve the discrepancy before continuing. This protects the patient from being misidentified and prevents erroneous test results.

Modifying labels to fit the requisition, proceeding with the mismatch, or ignoring the discrepancy all risk mislabeling and harm, so they are not appropriate choices.