Quality Assurance & Suggested Guidelines for Record and Specimen Retention (Henry, 21st Ed.)

Question 1

Enumerate the 3 copies/report

Answer 1

1. Doctor
2. Patient = original copy
3. File

Question 2

Types of Reports

Answer 2

Surgical pathology report
Cytopathology report
Autopsy report

Question 3

Signatories

Answer 3

Request forms = patient’s doctor
Result forms = pathologist

Question 4

Turnover of results:

Surgical pathology & cytology = ___hr/s
Frozen section = _____ minutes
Autopsy report = ___ week/s (Autopsy procedure: __ hrs)

Answer 4

Surgical pathology & cytology = 24 hrs
Frozen section = 5-15 mins
Autopsy report = 1 week (Autopsy procedure: 24 hrs)

Question 5

How long can specimen (tissue) can be stored?

Answer 5

1 month to 1 year

Question 6

How long can tissue blocks (paraffin) can be stored?

Answer 6

3 to 10 years

Question 7

How long can prepared slides be stored?

Answer 7

Indefinite

Question 8

Retention of Records (years):

1. Requisitions
2. QC
3. Instrument maintenance
4. BB QC
5. BB employee signatures
6. BB donor/recipient records

Answer 8

1. Requisitions = 2 years
2. QC = 2 years
3. Instrument maintenance = 2 years
4. BB QC = 5 years
5. BB employee signatures = 10 years
6. BB donor/recipient records = indefinitely

Question 9

Retention of Reports (years):

1) Clinical pathology lab reports
2) Surgical pathology (and BM) reports
3) Cytogenetics reports
4) Autopsy forensic reports

Answer 9

Retention of Reports:

1) Clinical pathology lab reports = 2 years
2) Surgical pathology (and BM) reports = 10 years
3) Cytogenetics reports = 20 years
4) Autopsy forensic reports = Indefinitely

Question 10

Specimen retention:

a) Serum/other body fluids
b) Blood smears (routine)
c) Microbiology smears

Answer 10

Specimen retention:

a) Serum/other body fluids = 48 hours
b) Blood smears (routine) = 7 days
c) Microbiology smears = 7 days

Question 11

Specimen retention:

a) BB donor/recipient specimens

b) Pathology/BM slides
10 years

Answer 11

Specimen retention:

a) BB donor/recipient specimens = 7 days post-transfusion

b) Pathology/BM slides = 10 years

Question 12

Specimen retention:

a) Pathology blocks

b) Cytogenetic slides

c) Cytogenetics diagnostic images

Answer 12

Specimen retention:

a) Pathology blocks: 10 years

b) Cytogenetic slides: 3 years

c) Cytogenetics diagnostic images: 20 years

Question 13

Forensic Cases (Specimen retention):

Body fluids

Tissue for toxicology

Wet tissues

Answer 13

Body fluids= 1 year

Tissue for toxicology= 1 year

Wet tissues= 3 years

Question 14

Forensic Cases (Specimen retention):

Paraffin blocks

Slides

Reports

Answer 14

Paraffin blocks= Indefinitely

Slides= Indefinitely

Reports= Indefinitely

Question 15

Forensic Cases (Specimen retention):

a) Gross photographs/ negatives

b) Dried blood films

c) Frozen tissue for DNA

Answer 15

Forensic Cases (Specimen retention):

a) Gross photographs/ negatives= Indefinitely

b) Dried blood films= Indefinitely

c) Frozen tissue for DNA= indefinitely