Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026
Summary
The article emphasizes that patient safety and ethical practice in laboratory medicine begin in the educational classroom. By integrating safety concepts, quality principles, and ethical decision‑making throughout Medical Laboratory Science and Medical Laboratory Technician curricula, students learn that every specimen represents a patient. Early, consistent training builds a strong safety culture and prepares graduates to prioritize accuracy, accountability, and patient welfare.
Why It Truly Begins in the Educational Classroom
Phyllis Ingham, EdD, MLS(ASCP), AHI(AMT), Volunteer Contributor
Medical laboratory professionals rarely meet the patients whose lives depend on their work, yet laboratory results guide the majority of clinical decisions made in healthcare. Because of this reality, patient safety is not an abstract ideal in laboratory medicine, it is a daily responsibility. While technology, policies, and accreditation standards support safe practice, patient safety does not begin on the first day of employment. It begins in the educational classroom, where future laboratory professionals learn how their actions directly influence patient outcomes.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine describe a culture of safety as the shared values and behaviors that place safety above competing priorities. In laboratory medicine, these values do not develop by accident. They are intentionally taught, modeled, and reinforced throughout educational programs. Students who are introduced early to patient safety principles carry those expectations with them into clinical training and professional practice.
Medical laboratory science (MLS) and medical laboratory technician (MLT) programs provide students with their first real understanding of how laboratory errors can affect patients. Early in their training, students learn a simple but powerful lesson: every specimen represents a real person. Patient safety education is most effective when it is integrated across the curriculum rather than confined to a single lecture or policy review.
“Patient safety is reinforced throughout a laboratory professional’s career, but it absolutely begins in the classroom.”
In classroom and student laboratory settings, safety concepts are reinforced through routine practice. Students verify patient identifiers, apply strict specimen labeling criteria, interpret quality control data, and practice accurate documentation. These experiences help students understand that patient safety is not an additional task—it is embedded in every step of the laboratory testing process.
Research has consistently shown that many laboratory errors occur outside the analytical phase of testing. Pre-analytical and post-analytical errors remain common sources of patient harm, often related to specimen identification, handling, and communication. Teaching students where these risks exist prepares them to recognize potential problems and intervene before errors reach the patient.
Specimen misidentification continues to be one of the most serious and preventable threats to patient safety. Educational programs emphasize correct patient identification, proper tube selection, and appropriate specimen handling because errors at this stage cannot be corrected later in the testing process. Students learn that accuracy at the beginning protects the patient throughout the entire continuum of care.
Technology has strengthened patient safety efforts, particularly using barcode systems that reduce specimen identification errors. However, students are also taught that technology does not replace professional judgment. Safe laboratory practice depends on understanding both the capabilities and limitations of automated systems.
Within the analytical phase, education focuses on quality as a patient safety issue rather than merely a regulatory requirement. Students learn that quality control failures require thoughtful decision-making and that stopping testing may sometimes be the safest course of action. These lessons prepare graduates to prioritize patient welfare over productivity pressures.
A strong culture of safety depends on openness, accountability, and continuous learning. Students trained in environments where errors and near misses are discussed respectfully are more likely to speak up in the workplace. When educators model transparency and problem-solving, students learn that reporting concerns is a professional responsibility rather than a sign of failure.
Ethics and patient safety are inseparable. The ASCLS Code of Ethics emphasizes integrity, competence, and responsibility to patients, colleagues, and society. Ethical principles guide laboratory professionals when policies are unclear or when competing pressures arise. Ethics education is most effective when it is practical and scenario-based, allowing students to discuss real situations such as quality control failures, patient confidentiality, and unsafe practices.
Graduates who have been immersed in patient safety and ethics education enter the workforce with clear expectations. They understand that accuracy matters, communication is critical, and patient safety is never optional. While systems and technology support safe practice, it is education that shapes the mindset and values that sustain it.
Patient safety is reinforced throughout a laboratory professional’s career, but it absolutely begins in the classroom. It is there that future laboratorians learn to connect their daily actions to patient outcomes and ethical responsibility. Educators and laboratory leaders share a responsibility to model, reinforce, and prioritize these principles ensuring that safety and ethics are not simply taught, but lived. These foundational lessons shape laboratory culture and help ensure that patient care remains at the center of every result reported.
References
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2023). Patient safety and quality improvement. https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/index.html
- American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. (2021). ASCLS code of ethics. https://www.ascls.org/about-us/code-of-ethics
- American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification. (2023). Certification maintenance program requirements. https://www.ascp.org/boc/maintain-your-credentials
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Laboratory medicine best practices.
- Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. (2016). Laboratory quality control based on risk management (2nd ed.). CLSI.
- Institute of Medicine. (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health system. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9728
- International Organization for Standardization. (2022). ISO 15189: Medical laboratories Requirements for quality and competence.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Safety systems and cultures. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25020
Phyllis Ingham is Dean at the School of Health Sciences at West Georgia Technical College in Waco, Georgia.