We normally do not allow patients to have their specimens back after they are signed out, but recently we did have a patient request a specimen to be returned due to his religious preferences. We have held onto the specimen and it's being looked at by our legal and risk management departments. The biggest issue with this is the chemical (formalin) and biohazard exposure involved. Eventually, the patient received his specimen, but there was a lot of red tape and it's the only instance in which I have seen a patient get a specimen back after we were done with it.
Brendal Finlay, HT ASCP -----Original message----- From: Cathy Crumpton cathy.crump...@tuality.org Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:10:22 -0500 To: "histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu" histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] Patient requests for tissues > I am wondering how other hospital connected histology labs handle requests from patientsto get their tissue back. I am especially interested in the placentas. Our pathologists and managers are struggling to come up with a policy that is sensitive to various religions and cultures but keeps everyone safe. Do you allow patients to get back their specimens after the case is signed out or not??? > > > > Cathy Crumpton HT(ASCP), Lead Histotechnician > > Tuality Community Hospital > > 503-681-1292 > _______________________________________________ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet > _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet