A7 - Good scientific and clinical practice

Question 1

What are the principles of good practice?

Answer 1

• Using standard operating procedures (SOP’s)
• Effectively managing calibration and maintenance of equipment and work areas
• Effectively managing stock
• Appropriately storing products, materials and equipment

Question 2

What is a SOP?

Answer 2

A Standard Operating Procedure

Question 3

What is a standard operating procedure?

Answer 3

A set of sequential steps or instructions designed to standardise the approach to a process or action.

Question 4

Why is it important that everyone follows SOPs?

Answer 4

• Maintaining health and safety
• Enabling consistency of approach
• Meeting any legal or organisational requirements
• Upholding professional standards
• Demonstrating compliance for audit purposes

Question 5

How would you access SOPs for a given activity?

Answer 5

• Carrying out detailed index searches
• Completing detailed staff induction and ongoing training
• Ensuring the SOP is the most up-to-date version
• Ensuring all relevant documentation has been completed and signed

Question 6

What are the potential impacts of not regularly cleaning and preparing work areas for use?

Answer 6

• Risks to health and safety
• Invalid results
• Inefficient work practices
• Damage to equipment

Question 7

What are the potential impacts of not maintaining, cleaning and servicing equipment?

Answer 7

• Risk to health and safety
• Invalid results
• Reduced function of equipment

Question 8

Why is it important to calibrate and test equipment to ensure it is fit for use?

Answer 8

• Ensuring accuracy of measurements
• Prolonging the life of equipment
• Meeting legal requirements

Question 9

How can you escalate concerns if the equipment is not correctly calibrated or unsuitable for use?

Answer 9

• Taking the equipment out of action
• Labelling the equipment as being out of use
• Reporting concerns to the relevant person
• Recording concerns

Question 10

Why is it important to order and manage stock?

Answer 10

• Ensuring sufficient supply of required consumables and materials
• Ensuring that materials are used before their expiry date
• Reducing the costs of excessive stock
• Improving efficiency
• Improving productivity
• Ensure safety of stock

Question 11

What are the potential consequences of incorrectly storing products, materials and equipment?

Answer 11

• Cross contamination
• Breakdown of limited stability products
• Products exceeding expiry dates
• Loss of samples or degradation of reagents not stored at the correct temperature
• Risks to health and safety
• Stock is difficult to locate
• Financial loss