Quality Management 200 QS

Quality Control

What is the set of procedures performed to monitor the accuracy and reliability of laboratory testing?

That every step of the testing process produces dependable results

What does Quality Control verify during the testing process?

Ensure accurate and reproducible laboratory results

Name the primary objective of Quality Control regarding laboratory results.

Before patient results are reported

Quality Control aims to detect errors prior to which specific event?

Compliance with laboratory standards and regulations

What does Quality Control maintain in terms of laboratory management?

Improve patient safety and quality of care

What is the ultimate patient-centered goal of implementing Quality Control?

In researches and academics

Where are stock cultures primarily utilized?

Transferred into vials

How are stock cultures processed into storage containers during batch preparation?

Twice

How many times should stock cultures be subcultured after thawing?

Schaedler broth with glycerol

Which broth containing glycerol is used as a medium for stock cultures?

Skim milk

Which simple dairy-based medium is listed for maintaining stock cultures?

TSA butt

What type of agar butt is used for stock culture maintenance?

Cystine tryptic agar

Which CTA medium is used for stock culture preservation?

Chopped meat

Which specific medium is utilized for stock cultures of anaerobic organisms?

Powdered form / aerosols

In what physical form are culture media typically supplied before preparation?

At least 2 years

How long must records of dehydrated culture media be kept at minimum?

Sterility testing

What procedure must be performed once media is newly prepared?

24–48 hours (maximum 3 days)

What is the standard incubation time range for media sterility testing?

Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)

Which organization establishes the criteria for QC of culture media?

Daily or once a week

How frequently should general laboratory reagents be checked?

Positive and negative controls

With what controls must reagents be tested daily?

Catalase

Name the enzyme reagent tested for oxygen bubble release.

Coagulase

Name the plasma reagent tested for clumping/clotting.

Gelatin

Which protein-degrading reagent is monitored under reagent QC?

Hippurate

Which enzymatic hydrolysis reagent test requires daily/weekly QC?

PYR

Name the rapid colorimetric reagent test abbreviated as PYR.

Beta lactamases

Which reagents are tested to detect bacterial resistance to penicillin derivatives?

Oxidase

Name the electron-transport enzyme reagent test monitored under QC.

Bacitracin

Name the antibiotic differentiation disc abbreviated as "A disc".

Optochin

Name the differentiation disc used specifically for S. pneumoniae testing.

Kovac's / Ehrlich

Name the two reagents/reagent formulations used for indole testing.

X and V discs

Which paper discs supply growth factors required by Haemophilus species?

Quarterly (4x per year or as needed)

How often should microscopes be checked or serviced?

2x a year / annually

How frequently must the Biosafety Cabinet be checked overall?

Monthly

How often must the face velocity of a Biosafety Cabinet be checked?

20–30 days

For how long is susceptibility testing of control organisms usually performed daily?

American Type Culture Collection (ATCC)

What type of culture collection strains are recommended for AST Quality Control?

When the container is first opened

When should antibiotic discs be checked for the first time?

Once each week of use

How often should antibiotic discs be checked during routine active use?

Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)

Besides disk diffusion, by what quantitative procedure should antibiotic performance be checked?

0°C

What is the standard reference calibration point for laboratory thermometers?

37°C, 56°C

Name two common elevated temperatures used for thermometer calibration.

-20°C and 2°C to 8°C

What cold and freezing temperatures are also used for thermometer calibration?

Twice a day

How frequently must biological refrigerators be checked?

Every 4–6 months

What is the preventive maintenance frequency for biological refrigerators?

Daily (or every shift)

How often must incubators be checked daily?

Every 6 months

What is the preventive maintenance interval for incubators?

Autoclave

What equipment requires temperature checking per load or use and preventive maintenance every 6 months?

On the face of the rheostat control

Where are the setting RPMs marked on a centrifuge?

Every 6 months

How frequently are centrifuge RPMs checked?

Before use / Each use

When should a Gas Pak Jar be checked?

Weekly

How frequently should spore testing be performed on an autoclave?

Annually

How often should analytical balances be checked for accuracy using weights?

Pre-Analytical, Analytical, Post-Analytical

Name the three main stages in laboratory testing.

Pre-Analytical

Under which testing stage does proper specimen collection fall?

Pre-Analytical

Under which stage does test ordering and patient preparation belong?

Pre-Analytical

Under which stage does specimen labelling and transport belong?

Patient sees clinician with clinical signs and symptoms

What event marks the beginning of the Pre-Analytical Phase workflow?

Presumptive diagnosis

What does the clinician establish before ordering a lab test?

Analytical Phase

What phase begins when laboratory staff perform the actual test?

Post-Analytical Phase

What phase starts when test results are generated, reviewed, and verified?

Re-examines and re-evaluates patient

What does the clinician do if laboratory results do not confirm the presumptive diagnosis?

Laboratory Information System

What system software is abbreviated as LIS?

Prevent duplication of culture request

Name a benefit of LIS regarding request management.

Reduces labelling errors

How does LIS impact labelling errors?

Fast turn-around-time

How does LIS affect TAT?

Improved the feasibility / traceability of specimen

What operational metric does LIS improve regarding samples?

Better accountability

What overall administrative benefit does LIS provide?

Correct transport medium used and not expired

What is the primary Quality Control goal for specimen transport media?

Leaking container / Broken container

Mention a specimen rejection criterion involving container integrity.

Dry swab

Mention a rejection criterion for swab samples that lack moisture.

Wrong specimen container / Wrong specimen combination

Mention a rejection criterion regarding container selection.

Insufficient Quantity

Mention a rejection criterion concerning sample volume.

Transport Delay

Mention a rejection criterion related to sample log-in timing.

Missing clinical information

What key clinical detail, if absent, triggers proper requisition checks?

"Rejected Specimen is better than incorrect result"

What core laboratory philosophy statement governs specimen rejection?

Sterility Testing

What type of media testing ensures no microbial contamination occurred during production?

Growth Promotion Testing

What type of media testing ensures the medium supports intended bacterial growth?

Performance Testing

What testing checks overall functional parameters of prepared media?

Physical Inspection

What testing involves assessing media for physical anomalies?

ATCC 25922

Which ATCC strain number corresponds to Escherichia coli used as a standard control?

ATCC 25923

Which ATCC strain number corresponds to Staphylococcus aureus used as a control?

ATCC 27853

Which ATCC strain number corresponds to Pseudomonas aeruginosa used as a control?

Gram stain reagents, Oxidase reagent, Catalase reagent, Coagulase plasma

Name four main staining and reagent components checked under Analytical QC.

ATCC 25923

Which S. aureus strain is used as a control for Blood Agar Plate?

ATCC 19615

Which Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC strain is used for Blood Agar Plate QC?

ATCC 6305

Which Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC strain is used for Blood Agar Plate QC?

ATCC 25922

Which E. coli strain is used for MacConkey Agar QC?

ATCC 12453

Which Proteus mirabilis strain is used for MacConkey Agar QC?

ATCC 27853

Which P. aeruginosa strain is used for MacConkey Agar QC?

ATCC 43069

Which Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain is used for Chocolate Agar Plate QC?

ATCC 7901

Which Haemophilus parainfluenzae strain is used for Chocolate Agar Plate QC?

ATCC 252844

Which Bacteroides fragilis strain is used as an additional QC strain for AST?

ATCC 51299

Which Enterococcus faecalis strain is used as an additional QC strain for AST?

ATCC 49247

Which Haemophilus influenzae strain is used for AST QC?

ATCC 700603

Which Klebsiella pneumoniae strain is used as a control strain for AST?

ATCC 49619

Which Streptococcus pneumoniae strain is used for AST QC?

ATCC 49226

Which Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain is used for AST QC?

Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922

Name the two ATCC strains used specifically for staining QC.

Streptococcus pyogenes

Which organism serves as the positive control for the Bacitracin test?