ABSTRACT
An audit should cover the procedures that laboratory personnel perform that detail the receipt, documentation, storage, and handling of samples for analysis. Representative sampling procedures will not be discussed here, although if laboratory personnel perform any initial samples collection, written procedures should exist, and the procedures should be reviewed in an audit. Procedures should include size of samples collected, how they should be collected, frequency of collection, and how the sample is subsequently preserved and transported to the laboratory. Conditions of preservation for each sample type should be specified, i.e., refrigeration (for heat sensitivity or stability), use of sterile bags=containers (for aseptic samples), or amber bottles (for light sensitivity). In appropriate circumstances, such as laboratory performing its own sampling, a reference or justification should be written to describe how and why samples are taken and what they represent. This can be an important part of generating meaningful test results.
