BACKGROUND/AIMS

The aim of the present study was to determine the knowledge of the final year students of the nursing department about the pre-analytical phase in the laboratory analysis.

MATERIAL and METHODS

This was a descriptive study conducted during the spring semester of 2017–2018 academic year. A total of 142 volunteer final year nursing department students were included in the study. A questionnaire was prepared by the researcher as a data collection tool.

RESULTS

Of the 142 final year nursing students, 93.7% responded correctly to the optimal blood-letting time for biochemical analysis. It was determined that 92.9% of the students correctly know blood-letting positions affect blood values or not, and 94.7% know the reason why blood-letting is performed in sitting or lying positions. Of the 142 students, 90.1% correctly identified the medium urine samples. It was determined that 96.4% of the students know within how many minutes at maximum blood samples should be sent to the laboratory after drawing.

CONCLUSION

The study has provided evidence that the study course of “clinical biochemistry” included into the syllabus in the academic year of 2017–2018 for the first time increased the knowledge of the students about the collection, storage, and transfer of biochemistry laboratory specimens. The study concludes that it is advisable to include the study course of “clinical biochemistry”that predominantly handles the pre-analytical phase into the syllabi designed for nursing schools.

Keywords: Pre-analytical phase, biochemical analyses, laboratory evaluation, sample taking, student nurse