External quality assessment reveals lack of harmonization in the pneumatic tube systems and hemolysis index cutoffs

ISO 15189 (2022) states that the pre-examination process includes transportation to and within the laboratory (3.24) and that the laboratory shall establish and periodically evaluate the adequacy of sample transportation systems (7.2.5). Pneumatic tube systems (PTS) are frequently used for sample transit in hospitals and laboratories but often lack quality control processes. Labquality, aimed to fill that void by introducing an EQA scheme for PTS transport, including varying preanalytical questions on local habits related to sample transportation.