Quality control and quality assurance concepts, laboratory safety, and specimen handling procedures for clinical laboratories.
35 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What is the purpose of internal quality control (QC) materials in the lab?
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To monitor the accuracy and precision of test results before releasing patient results- What are Westgard rules used for?
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Statistical rules to evaluate whether quality control results are within acceptable limits- What does the 1-2s Westgard rule indicate?
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A warning rule, when one control result exceeds two standard deviations, prompting a closer look but not necessarily rejection- What does the 1-3s Westgard rule indicate?
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A rejection rule, when one control result exceeds three standard deviations from the mean- What is a Levey-Jennings chart used for?
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Graphically plotting quality control values over time to detect trends and shifts- What is the difference between accuracy and precision in laboratory testing?
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Accuracy is how close a result is to the true value, while precision is how reproducible repeated results are- What is a shift on a Levey-Jennings chart?
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A sudden and sustained movement of QC values to a new level, indicating a systematic change- What is a trend on a Levey-Jennings chart?
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A gradual, continuous movement of QC values in one direction over several runs- What does proficiency testing (PT) evaluate?
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A laboratory's ability to accurately test unknown samples compared to peer laboratories- What agency regulates clinical laboratory testing quality in the United States?
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CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments)- What are the three CLIA complexity categories for laboratory tests?
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Waived, moderate complexity, and high complexity- What organization commonly provides voluntary laboratory accreditation, such as for hospital labs?
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College of American Pathologists (CAP)- What is a standard operating procedure (SOP) in a laboratory?
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A written, detailed set of instructions for performing a specific laboratory procedure consistently- What is the purpose of calibration in laboratory instrumentation?
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To establish the relationship between instrument response and known analyte concentrations for accurate results- What is a delta check used for in laboratory quality?
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Comparing a patient's current result to their previous result to flag unexpected changes that may indicate error
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