PATH lecture 1 quality control

Vocabulary flashcards generated from clinical pathology lecture notes, covering key terms related to quality control, laboratory errors, and basic principles of laboratory work for veterinary technicians.

Quality Assurance

Procedures used to ensure that clinical testing is performed in compliance with industry, SVMA, and CVMA standards, to ensure results are properly recorded according to regulations, and to verify the accuracy and precision of laboratory test results.

Quality Control Program

A program that reviews all aspects of a process to ensure that results are accurate.

Accuracy

How close a measurement is to the true value; measures systematic errors.

Precision

The reproducibility or repeatability of results; measures random error.

Reliability

The ability of a method to be accurate and precise.

Control

Any device, compound, or solution which has one or more known characteristics, used to verify the accuracy and precision of measurements in unknown samples.

Standards

Non-biological materials used for calibrating equipment.

Preanalytic Variables

Errors that can be biological (e.g., breed, age, gender, fasting status) or nonbiological (e.g., clerical errors, sample collection and handling), occurring before the analytic process.

Analytic Variables

Errors that occur when the sample is run through the analyzer, often seen as gradual shifts in control results in one direction (lowering or rising of the mean); also known as systemic errors.

Postanalytic Variables

Errors usually related to data entry and record keeping after the analytic process.

Clerical Errors

Avoidable nonbiological variables including delays in processing, incorrect labeling, wrong calculations, sampling the wrong patient, or using the wrong sample type.

Systemic Error

Errors occurring during sample analysis (analytic variables), often seen as a gradual shift in control results due to factors like unstable reagents, unsuitable test methods, or nonstandard sera.

Random Errors

Errors caused by variations found in glassware and pipettes, electronic and optic variations of instruments, and variations in temperature controls and timing.

Normal Range

A set of values compiled statistically from healthy animals of a particular breed, age, etc., using a specific test method; also called a reference range.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Detailed instructions for each laboratory procedure, including test name, rationale, necessary equipment, reagents, step-by-step instructions, associated logs, and specific quality control procedures.

Reproducibility in Quality Control

The ability to obtain consistent results when a test is repeated; good quality control is generally accepted to provide 95% reproducibility (or ± 2.5 SD).

Control Serum

A commercially obtained material processed exactly as a patient sample would be, used to assess both the instrument and the technologist to ensure machines, reagents, and procedures are working properly.