Laboratory Medecine 101: The Basics - Handorf

Question 1

What type of test would you use to confirm a disease: high specificity or sensitivity?

Answer 1

High specificity will confirm it is a certain disease

Question 2

What type of test would you choose to rule out a disease: high specificity or sensitivity?

Answer 2

High sensitivity will help rule out diseases.

Question 3

How much does lab testing cost make up of total US healthcare expenditure?

Answer 3

Only 2-3% but it dictates how up to 80% is spent.

Question 4

What is quality control for?

Answer 4

designed to detect, reduce, and correct deficiencies in a laboratory’s internal analytical process prior to the release of patient results

Question 5

What is quality planning?

Answer 5

written overall laboratory plan for maintenance and continuous improvement of laboratory quality. Includes inspections and accreditation, quality control and proficiency testing

Question 6

What are the only good reasons for ordering tests?

Answer 6

diagnosis, management, and disease screening