FMLS Flashcards
Learn about the fundamentals of medical laboratory science
What role do medical laboratory scientists play in healthcare of society
By providing vital information about a patient’s state of health
Where is MLSs input necessary
I the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease
What do their analytical and diagnostic Services require
A strong scientific knowledge as well as a trained reasoning ability and empathy for humanity
What type of services are provided by you
Analytical and diagnostic services
What does HPCSA stand for?
Health Professions Council of South Africa
What does the HPCSA administrator? Name 4.
Effectiveness
Professionalism
Responsiveness
Efficiency
What are the HPCSA principles? Clue: it’s 4 of them and they advocate and advice on these.
Respect
Dignity
Honesty
Integrity
What does the regulator regulate?
Transparency Rationality Accountability Consistency Impartiality Fairness
What is the HPCSA motto?
Protect the public and guide the professions
What is the HPCSA vision?
Quality and equitable healthcare for all
What are some of the HPCSA missions?
To enhance the quality of healthcare for all by developing strategic policy frameworks for effective and efficient coordination and guidance for professions
Setting contextually relevant healthcare training and practice standards for registered professions
Protecting the public in matters involving the rendering of health services
What is the definition of ethics?
These are the standards that govern the moral of good and bad based on the social norm and guides the behaviour of human beings
What is the definition of professional ethics?
These are a set of moral codes of conduct that guides professionals in practical management of patients
What is the main reason for professional ethics?
To enhance respect within and outside of the profession
Protects the rights of patients
Protects the rights and privileges of professionals
Distinguish between ethics and professional ethics
Ethics are moral guidelines for any human being, however professional ethics are a guideline for the professional and patients
Explain what is meant by the ethical principle non-maleficence
Do not harm yourself or others
Explain beneficence
Helping yourself and others/patients in a way as to maximise the ratio of benefits to harm for all people
Explain Autonomy
Patients are treated with respect by informing them and making them understand any procedures carried out on them, treating patients information in confidence (don’t confuse it with confidentiality-that is an ethical code)
Explain the principle of justice
Treat people fairly, treat equals equal, unequals equally, avoid exploiting vulnerable individuals
What is the main purpose of ethical codes?
These ensure the patient’s well being above personal interest
What should all practitioners do?
They should be personally accountable for the quality and integrity of care giving to patients
Mention the ethical codes
Exercise professional judgement, skill and care
Practice within the scope of one’s professional competence
Where service is beyond one’s capacity, one should summon another professional with necessary capacity
Ethical codes continued
Practice the principle of informed consent in patient care
Maintain professional integrity and respect to all patients with regards to gender, age… etc.
Maintain strict confidentiality on all information gained during practice and protect the patient’s right to privacy
Last ethical code
Reject all forms of bribery
Mention the ethical rules (things that cannot be done)
Diagnose any disease in man or animal
Analyse specimens for diagnosis if it is not required by a registered medical practitioner or dentist
Knowingly give results or any confidential matter to unauthorised persons
Ethical rules continued
Advertise directly or indirectly
Falsify results or any other information
Explain further the no advertising rule
This just means an MLS cannot advertise their lab to civilians but must present themselves to a doctor or hospital they want to work with
What role does continuous professional development play in relation to MLS
To ensure that health practitioners continuously update themselves with new developments in the health industry in order to remain abreast with ever changing trends
How many levels of laboratory categories are there?
4 categories
What are the 4 categories called
Biosafety levels 1,2,3,4
Describe what goes on in a biosafety level 1 lab
This is the simplest kind used for handling well categorised/characterised micro-organisms that cause no disease in healthy individuals including pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms
Organisms in this lab should cause minimal biohazard to the lab workers and surrounding and exhibit limited precautions linked to the level
Used for teaching students
Describe what goes on in a biosafety level 2 lab
Trained personnel in handling pathogenic bacteria are supervised by more experienced personnel and limited access to other staff members not qualified to work in this lab
Use of biosafety cabinets is recommended for work with aerosols, disposal and handling of contaminated sharp equipment is done with utmost precautionary measures
Involves agents that are of moderate risk to humans
Describe what goes on in a biosafety level 3 lab
Involves organisms transmitted via inhalation and can cause lethal diseases and precautionary measures in BSL 1 and BSL 2 are followed including additional ones
Work is processed under biosafety cabinets and all lab personnel must be immunised and surveillance monitoring done
protective clothing must be front solid and discarded under each use, strictly no lab protective clothing to be taken out of the lab
Biosafety level 3 lab continued
Maximum containment of infectious material handled in this lab
Two sets of self-closing doors are recommended and air leaving the lab must be filtered before leaving the lab or recirculated
Describe what goes on in a biosafety level 4 lab
Needs the highest level of biosafety precautions and organisms that are aerosol are transmitted
Cause severe to fatal illnesses and only trained and authorised staff entry
Must be separated from areas with unrestricted entry
Class 3 biosafety cabinet is used
Name the necessities needed in the structure of lab that coincides with a safe laboratory design
There should be:
Adequate moving, work, storage space and the floor surface should be non-slippery, impermeable to liquids and resistant to chemicals
Walls should be smooth, crack-free, liquid impermeable, easily washable
Adequate ventilation and emergency exits
Lab should be divided according to the type of work performed
Name the designs that make the interior of a lab a safe laboratory
The bench surface should be the correct width and height with no cracks and should be washable and resistant to disinfectants
Well ventilated, fire proof, locked-up store room for flammable chemicals
Hand basins with elbow controlled tops and clean water preferably by the exit
Safety/biohazard cabinets and fume cupboards
Easily accessible, well maintained fire extinguishers
Adequate wall electric points and adequate and safe disposal system
Display of suitable safety signs and a laboratory coat rail near the exit
Mention the general laboratory rules
Know the location of fire extinguishers, fire blankets, first aid kits and main gas tops
Wear a laboratory coat, buttoned at all times, and close-toe shoes. Remove coat when leaving the laboratory
Pin long hair away from the face and neck and avoid contact with chemicals, equipment or flame
Wear safety glasses when working with strong chemicals and when splashes are likely to occur
Do not wear loose hanging jewellery
Do not use any flammable substance near open flame
General laboratory rules continued
Handle all flammable solvents and fuming reagents under a fume hood, store in a well ventilated hood
Wear gloves when handling infectious substances and treat all samples as potentially infectious
Cover any cuts with Elastoplast and tape
Do not eat, drink, smoke, chew gum in the lab
Do not pipette by mouth
Report any injury on duty or during a practical session to the senior person immediately
Students always have to work under supervision of a qualified person
Name the types of laboratory hazards experienced in the lab
Physical, Chemical, and Biological Hazards
Mention the types of physical hazards found
Electric, Fire, and Instruments hazards
Explain further on the electric hazards and precautions to be taken
Electric equipment is a common source of electrical shock so they should be:
Properly grounded according to the manufacturers instruction
Disconnected from electrical supply before doing any repairs
All electrical cords should be secured along the wall and no use of frayed cords
Explain further in the fire hazard and precautions to be taken
When using a Bunsen burner or open flames there should be no:
Loose clothing and long untied hair
Gas cylinders inside the lab
Smoking
Handling of flammable chemicals next to the Bunsen burner
Trace any suspicious burning smells
Explain the instruments hazard and precautions taken
Follow precautions supplied by the manufacturer for any lab equipment
Mention the types of chemicals hazards that can occur in a lab
Flammable, Poisonous and caustic, Carcinogenic, and Burning
Explain further the aspect of flammable hazard and precautions to be taken
Flammables should be stored in a flame proof cupboard and some are explosives as well and have toxic irritating fumes. Ether causes depression of the CNS. Therefore: No flames within 6 feet (1.8m) Use in ventilated fume cupboard Use face masks
Explain further the poisonous and caustic hazard and the precautions to be taken
Any contact with NAOH necessitates immediate care even at low concentration
NAOH, KOH, HCl, H2SO4, Nitric, Methanol, Cyanide may perforate stomach walls or even cause death when ingested or inhaled
Therefore:
Any acid on the skin should be washed away immediately
Pour acids to avoid splashes
Always add acid to water
Never mouth pipette, use pipetting acids
Why should you always add acid to water
If you add water to acid the concentration of the acid solution will cause a boil and it will splash
Why should one never mouth pipette
To avoid and decontamination but when it comes to acids it is very dangerous for one to mouth pipette because if one inhales or ingests and of the acids it could be fatal
Explain further the carcinogenic hazard and the precautions
This is when any substance that causes development of cancer must be made known to workers O-toluidine, benzene, cyanogen bromide Therefore: Avoid direct skin contact Follow the proper discarding procedure
Explain the burning hazard and the precautions
Strong acid, strong base
Can cause severe skin burns, blindness
Therefore:
Avoid splashes and skin contact, use goggles and rubber gloves
Explain what is meant by biological
Refers to biological specimen and reagents derived from blood components
What regulation is of major importance when it comes to biological specimen?
The OHSA regulation that covers exposure to biological hazards, protection against blood borne pathogens is of major importance
What diseases are of major concern?
Viral hepatitis and AIDS
What are the precautions to be taken when dealing with biological specimen
Proper infection control:
Infection control officers and committees
Use of personal protective clothing and equipment
Enough education and training
Signs and labels
Provisions of Hepatitis B vaccination
Medical follow up after exposure incidents
What must be in place for any health care facility?
An infectious disease program
How should specimen and reagents be stored?
Heavy or fragile reagent containers must be stored closer to the floor level
What is the definition of a specimen?
A specimen also known as a sample is a sample of something, like blood or tissue, that is taken for medical testing
What is the importance of proper collection of specimen?
To maximise the outcome of laboratory tests for the diagnosis of infectious disease
Why are a variety of tests performed on a specimen
To make presumptive or definitive diagnosis so that treatment can begin
Name the types of specimen
Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Glucose specimen Semen specimen Anticoagulated Blood Urine Pleural fluid Blood Cultures Stool specimen
Explain transport on the ABG specimen
This specimen is stored in ice and needs to arrive at the lab within 10 minutes from the time it was drawn. It is of high importance meaning when it gets to the lab it is examined immediately
Why is arterial blood used and not blood from the veins
Arterial blood is constant so it is easier to check if the gases have fluctuated unlike the blood from the veins which is constantly fluctuating
Explain the process of taking the CSF and what is tested for
The process of taking CSF specimen is very painful for the patient so an experienced doctor will take this sample and an experienced MLS will examine the specimen. It is of high priority. Because the procedure is painful, it is taken as a last resort when meningitis is suspected in a patient
What does the colour of the CSF indicate
When the specimen is cloudy, it indicates that there is a presence of bacteria; when the specimen is clear it indicates that there is no bacteria but it is still examined because there could be the presence of a viral/fungal infection
What is a glucose most commonly used to test?
Diabetes
Does fluid have to come from the pleura?
No, it depends what is being tested. Fluid can be taken from the pleura (lung region), it could be taken from the perinatal (amniotic) from the amniotic sac
What precautions should be taken for blood cultures?
Volumetric precautions
The bottle needs to be held upright and volume watched closely during the draw.
What occurs when volumetric precautions are not taken for blood cultures?
Under-filling can cause possible false negative results
Over-filling could also cause inaccurate results.
Explain the specimen transport
Specimen should be sent to the lab soon after collection
A cool temperature should be maintained during transportation and prior to analysis
Specimen should be transported on ice or protected from light if necessary
Microbiology and some virology specimen should be transported using media
Safe packing is important for infection control
Where can samples be collected?
Arteries and Peads
Veins
Capillaries
Name the reasons for sample rejection
Clotted sample Severely haemolysed (contaminated with blood) Improperly labelled/unlabelled Specimen too old Leaked Volume criteria Delay transport Collection of specimen in wrong tube
