Introduction:

Adequate management of the preanalytical phase is crucial for nursing professionals because it guarantees the accuracy and reliability of laboratory results, which are essential for effective diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:

To identify preanalytical errors in clinical laboratories in the available literature.

Methodology:

Integrative review through PubMed, Scopus and Scielo databases. PRISMA criteria were used to select and evaluate relevant studies published between 2019 and 2024. Selected studies were critically appraised and synthesized using the constant comparison method: data reduction, data visualization, data comparison, drawing conclusions.

Results:

The initially identified articles were 80 (PubMed = 66, Scopus = 14, Scielo = 0) and 34 studies that met the selection criteria for this review were included. Pre-analytical errors are identified as predominant, representing a high percentage of errors in the laboratory, with poor sample preparation and handling being the most common causes. These errors increase costs and compromise diagnostic quality.

Conclusion:

Standardization of procedures and staff training are essential to reduce these errors and improve patient safety.

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