Determination of Perception and Knowledge of Specimen Rejection Criteria in the Laboratory among Medical Doctors in Southern Nigeria

Background: Laboratory diagnosis plays a major role in the clinical management of patients, as such, specimen handling errors should be avoided at all costs. Laboratory results are largely dependent on the quality and conditions of the specimens received for analysis. Every laboratory has a set of standard rejection criteria for samples. Since the pre-analytical stage of specimen handling lies in the purview of the medical practitioners who make the request, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of medical doctors regarding specimen appropriateness and their perception of specimen rejection criteria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was performed using a Google form which was distributed to medical practitioners practising in the southern part of Nigeria through various medical association WhatsApp groups, between April and September 2021. The self-administered questionnaire made up of three sections was used to obtain data on socio-demographic characteristics, the knowledge, and perception of medical doctors regarding good sample management practices.  Results: Most of the respondents were senior registrars, medical officers and consultants employed in Teaching Hospitals. 50 (50%) of the doctors had good knowledge of sample rejection, while 30(30%) had poor knowledge. In the same vein, 80(80%) of the respondents had good perception of specimen rejection criteria, while four ( 4% ) had poor perception. The relationship between the knowledge of respondents on sample rejection criteria and their office ranks was statistically significant (p<0.05) as well as the association between the facilities the doctors worked in and their knowledge of sample rejection criteria. Conclusion: Since a significant percentage of doctors still demonstrate inadequate knowledge and perception, all hands must be on deck to improve knowledge regarding specimen collection and handling. The authors believe that this is remediable by improved training and quality assurance measures.