Laboratory Flashcards
What is the function of the laboratory?
The primary function of the hospital laboratory is conducting tests that provide crucial information for detecting, diagnosing, treating and monitoring disease.
What is the most commonly used specimen to be tested?
Blood
What specimens can be tested in the laboratory?
- blood
- urine
- saliva
- sputum
- feces
- semen
- other bodily fluids and tissues
Laboratory Director / Pathologist
A medical doctor and/or PhD scientist
Medical Technologist
Performs routine and quality control tests, supervises, teaches and delegates. Many specialize in one particular area, such as in clinical chemistry, immunology, molecular pathology, microbiology, or blood bank technologies.
Medical Laboratory Technician
Performs routine tests in all areas of the clinical lab under the supervision of the medical technologist.
Phlebotomy Technician
Draws blood for laboratory tests using venipuncture or skin puncture.
Laboratory Clerk
Clerical staff who maintain records and reports; have direct contact with all hospital departments and units as well as outpatients
ACCESSIONING
Front line staff responsible for initial contact with outpatients and directing all calls and questions to appropriate persons in the laboratory.
ANATOMICAL PATHOLOGY
Concerned with the examination of tissues, the cytological content of body fluids, and fine needle aspiration biopsies. These specimens may be obtained at surgery, in the ER Dept., on the units or in the Morgue.
BIOCHEMISTRY
Provides analysis of blood, urine and body fluids.
HEMATOLOGY
Provides diagnostic tests for the study of diseases related to blood and blood clotting proteins. This includes blood cell counts, microscopic examination, coagulation tests, autoimmune diseases and special studies for the investigation of various anemias, bleeding and clotting disorders.
MICROBIOLOGY
Examines and cultures specimens for microorganisms, to make accurate species identification and to perform antibiotic susceptibility tests when indicted.
TRANSFUSION MEDICINE
Provides patient testing for the purposes of blood groupings, screening for blood antibodies and cross-matching blood components for routine and emergency transfusions. They also perform serological testing for the diagnosis of immune disorders.
Provincial Health Sservices Authority (PHSA)
PHSA is one of six health authorities – the other five health authorities serve geographic regions of B.C. PHSA operates provincial agencies as well as a variety of specialized laboratory services.
BC Cancer Agency
BCCA Laboratories provide specialized testing and diagnostic interpretations to the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Cancer Centre, the Cancer Agencies located outside Vancouver as well as referral hospitals and physicians throughout BC.
BC Centre for Disease Control
the BCCDC Public Health Microbiology & Reference Laboratory is the primary public health and reference diagnostic testing facility for British Columbia.
What are the core functions of the BC Centre for Disease Control?
a) Communicable disease surveillance prevention and control
b) Outbreak and emergency response to communicable diseases
c) Environmental health and food safety
d) Reference, specialized and diagnostic testing
e) Biosafety and Containment Level 3 programs
f) Integrated communicable disease data management
g) Public Health policy development and evaluation
h) Laboratory improvement and regulation
i) Training and education of health care and public health works
j) Public health related research
PHSA operates provincial agencies as well as a variety of specialized laboratory services. What are some of the 7 facilities?
- BC Cancer Agency
- BC Children’s Hospital
- BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre
- BC Mental Health and Addiction Services
- BC Centre for Disease Control
- Central Processing and Receiving Facility
- Provincial Toxicology Centre
What are requisition forms?
Forms used to request specific tests, including the time and date that the test should be performed.
It also contains patient information, including the patient’s name, age, gender, identification number, room number, bed number, and attending/ordering physician’s name.
It also includes additional information that is appropriate to the test as determined by the physician requesting the test.
Why must requisitions be completed accurately?
They are often the only form of communication used to request a test.
They are part of the identification process that ensures the correct test is performed on the correct patient.
List the 10 steps for transcribing a lab order.
- Scan the order and the previous order prn.
- Fax the order to Pharmacy if there are medications.
- Transcribe the lab order correctly to the Kardex. **Check and Double Check
- Symbolize the PO with K
- Complete the requisition as required. **Check and Double Check
- Symbolize the PO with RMO
- Send requisition to laboratory.
- Sign off orders.
- Stuff chart with blank addressographed forms prn.
- Flag the chart for the RN.
CBC
A complete blood count comprises a number of tests including Hgb, Hct, WBC, RBC, Diff. These tests may also be ordered separately.
Diff
A differential reports the various types of WBC’s (or leukocytes) found in the blood specimen. Some of the types are lymphocytes (lymphs), monocytes (monos), neutrophils (neutros), eosinophils (eos), and basophils (basos).
ESR
Also called sed rate. An erythrocyte sedimentation rate determines the rate at which RBC’s settle out of the liquid portion of the blood. The test is used to determine the progress of inflammatory diseases.
Hct
Hematocrit - this is a measurement of the volume percentage of red blood cells in whole blood.
Hgb
Hemoglobin – is the oxygen-carrying pigment of blood that gives it its red color. This test may determine the need for additional blood, or it may aid in diagnosing types of anemia.
Platelets
Platelet Count – is a test to measure how many platelets there are in the blood. Platelets help the blood clot. This could be used to diagnose bleeding disorders or bone marrow disease.
RBC
The measurement of red blood cells per cubic millimetre of blood.
Retics
A reticulocyte count (immature red blood cells) can determine bone marrow activity and is used in the diagnosis of anemia.
WBC
White blood cell test is used to measure the number of wbc’s (leukocytes) in a blood sample. WBC’s fight disease-causing organisms and the test is used in the diagnosis of infection.
List the 11 steps of the hematology check list.
- Scan the Physicians order and previous order
- Fax order to Pharmacy if there are meds
- Check and double check patient’s name
- Transcribe the order onto the Kardex. Symbolize the PO- K
- Complete the requisition from the Physician’s order and include the following:
- addressograph / label
- room and bed #
- date to be done
- time to be done
- diagnosis
- ordered by
- test name
- tick off appropriate test with S or R (S for STAT - R for Routine)
- Symbolize the PO – RMO
- If it is a STAT order call the Lab. Symbolize the PO – Dept Aware. STAT hematology orders are not transcribed to the Kardex.
- Fax requisition to Lab. Fax stamp the req. and include date and time.
- Sign Off
- Stuff chart prn
- Flag chart for RN
