Pitfalls and errors in drug monitoring: analytical aspects.

: Drug analyses, whether for purposes of evaluating new drug products or as part of clinical monitoring programs, have become frequently requested tests in both clinical and industrial laboratories. From the time of phlebotomy, throughout the transportation, processing and storage of the specimen, during the actual analytical procedure and throughout the clerical reporting of the data, certain potential errors and limitations in the system exist which should be fully recognized for proper evaluation of the laboratory data.