Ch 41 Clinical Lab Flashcards
What are the three main roles of a clinical laboratory in patient care?
Diagnosis & screening, treatment monitoring, and patient health evaluation.
What are the two types of laboratory tests?
Qualitative (presence or absence of a substance) & Quantitative (numeric value).
What is an example of a qualitative test?
Pregnancy test (detects presence of HCG).
What is an example of a quantitative test?
Blood glucose level test (measures glucose concentration).
What are the two main types of clinical laboratories?
Reference Laboratory (large, handles complex tests) & Physician’s Office Laboratory (POL) (in-house testing).
What are the key responsibilities of a medical assistant in the clinical lab?
Specimen collection, record management, patient communication, and quality control.
What is a laboratory requisition form?
A form that records the physician’s test orders and patient information.
What must be included when labeling a specimen?
Patient’s name, date, time of collection, test type, and physician’s name.
What is the purpose of flowcharts and graphs in lab reports?
To track patient health trends over time.
Why is patient preparation important for specimen collection?
Ensures accurate test results by following fasting or medication restrictions.
What is CLIA, and why was it created?
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (1988) regulate lab testing to ensure accuracy.
What are the three categories of CLIA testing?
Waived tests (simple, low risk), Moderate complexity (automated analyzers), and High complexity (specialized training required).
What is an example of a CLIA-waived test?
Blood glucose test using a glucometer.
What is the difference between Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC)?
QA ensures procedures meet standards, while QC confirms test accuracy through calibration.
Why must reagents and test strips be checked before use?
Expired materials can give inaccurate results.
