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autoclave
a device utilizing steam under pressure to sterilize medical instruments and laboratory specimens
caustic
burning or corrosive; usually destructive to living tissue
contamination
the pollution of an area or substance with unwanted extraneous material such as pathogens or hazardous chemicals
disinfection
any practical procedure for reducing the pathogen contamination in an intimate environment, as in air, on work counters, or equipment
hazardous chemical list
a list maintained by OSHA that identifies toxic chemicals used in laboratories; it may be consulted to determine the toxicity of a chemical
incident report
a report made by a health care worker when an event occurs, which is not consistent with the routine operation of the medical facility
infection control
in health care institutions, the constant effort to prevent the spread of infectious organisms; a separate department in larger facilities
material safety data sheet (MSDS)
information that comes from the chemical manufacturer and suppliers about the dangers of a chemical; all MSDS should be kept together in a book and the whereabouts known to all
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA works against occupational sources of disease
PPE (personal protective equipment)
clothing and other equipment that shields workers from outside contaminates. PPE includes gloves, uniforms, fluid proofs, aprons, masks, and eye shields
specimen
small amount of body tissue (eg. urine, blood, tumor biopsy) for purposes of examination; the sample is assumed to represent the whole and to provide meaningful results for the entire individual
standard precautions
a set of CDC safety procedures designed to protect patients and healthcare workers from infectious agents
universal precautions
a set of recommendations formulated by the CDC to protect workers against HIV and other pathogens. the precautions impose isolation of all specimens of blood, blood products, and other body fluids capable of transmitting pathogens.
accreditation
a voluntary process in which a private, independent agency grants recognition to institutions that meet or exceed established standards of quality
epidemiology
the study of the factors that cause disease and determine frequency and distribution
immunohematology
he study of blood group antigens and antibodies; blood banking
mycology
the study of fungi
stat test
a test that must be performed immediately
deionized water
water that has had most of the mineral ions removed
distilled water
the condensate collected from steam after water has been boiled
controls
generally made from human blood, known substances that are ran with laboratory test to check equipment, reagents, and technique. There are usually high, normal, and low control levels
fasting state
a specimen collected from a patient who has not been eating or drinking for a prescribed time
time specimen
a specimen must be collected at a certain time. for example, if a patient is receiving a toxic drug, a test must be done to assure the correct dose was given
standards
solutions of a know value of a pure substance used in quality control testing
solute
substance being dissolved (usually a solid)
solvent
the liquid that is doing the dissolving, sometimes called a diluent
solution
homogeneous mixture of substances, remained dissolved, permanent mixture
suspension
heterogeneous mixture of substance in which solute settles out
supernatant
liquid that floats on the top, may float on top of another liquid or solid
precipitate
material that settles to the bottom, also called sediment
