Look-Alike & Sound-Alike (LASA) Tests, Pre-Analytical Strategy in Reducing Diagnostic Laboratory Errors

In modern healthcare, diagnostic laboratory tests serve as the fundamental data for clinical decision-making. Over the past decade, the clinical laboratory test menu has substantially increased in size and complexity. This is especially seen in the large number of tests added in the molecular and genomics department, which require a deeper understanding of their clinical utility, testing methods, and relevant clinical application. This has created a persistent and insufficiently recognized threat of wrong test selection because these are often look-alike (orthographic similarity: names that look visually similar, especially in handwritten prescriptions) and sound-alike (phonetic similarity: names that sound similar when spoken aloud, leading to errors in verbal orders) (LASA) tests and prone to errors by the healthcare professionals. This article compiles the primary concerns about these LASA tests for the first time, categorizing the risks, examining the fundamental causes, and highlighting significant strategies to mitigate the dangers. Confusion created by LASA tests due to inappropriate test selection can result in a delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment, leading to significant harm to the patient. This is a very critical issue for patient safety that has to be dealt with a planned approach.