Safety and Quality Management Flashcards
What are the different types of laboratory hazards?
Biological, Sharps, Chemical, Radioactive, Electrical, fire/explosive, Physical
When do you perform handwashing?
Before patient contact
After gloves are removed
Before leaving the work area
Whenever the hands have been knowingly contaminated
Before going to designated break areas
Before and after using bathroom facilities
What is PPE?
Personal protective equipment
What does PPE include?
Gloves
Gowns or laboratory coats
Masks
Goggles
Face shields
Plexiglas countertop
Standard precautions
Made by the CDC
Assume every person in the health-care setting is potentially infected or colonized by transmittable organisms
What is included with bio waste?
materials with which specimen comes in contact, such as alcohol pads, gauze, and PPE placed in a bin with a bio hazard symbol
What is done to non-disposable material?
proper disinfection
Transporting patient specimens must meet what requirements?
DOT and IATA regulations
Watertight primary container (glass, metal, or plastic) with a screw on cap wrapped in absorbent material
What are some things to follow for handling sharps?
Never recap a needle
Dispose of sharps in a puncture-resistant, leakproof container labeled with the biohazard symbol
Refer to the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
What are some things to keep in mind for handling chemicals?
Avoid getting chemicals on body, clothes, and work area
Wear PPE
Immediately flush areas with water for at least 15 minutes if skin or eye contact occurs
Prepare reagents under a fume hood
Observe strict labeling practices
Safety data sheets are required for what?
for hazardous ingredient concentrations greater than 1%
Chemical hygiene plan
Appropriate work practices
Standard operating procedures
Personal protective equipment
Engineering controls
Employee training requirements
Medical consultation guidelines
Quality Management
Overall process of guaranteeing quality patient care
Agencies regulating the laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA)
College of American Pathologists (CAP)
Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)
The Joint Commission (TJC)
Pre-examination Variable
Specimen type
Time and date of collection
Patient’s first and last name
Patient’s gender
Patient’s age or date of birth
Person requesting test
Person to contact with critical results
Test name
Handling requirements
Time delivered to laboratory
Pre-examination Variables: Common errors
Patient misidentification
Wrong test ordered
Incorrect specimen type collected
Insufficient specimen volume
Delayed transport of specimen to the laboratory
Incorrect storage of specimen
Quality Management: Examination Variables
Directly affect testing of specimens
Examination variables include
Reagents
Instrumentation and equipment
Test procedures
Quality control (QC)
Personnel and facilities
Quality Control (QC)
Ensures standards are met
When Is QC performed?
Beginning of each shift
Before testing
When reagents are changed
When instrument malfunction has occurred
When test results are questioned
What does QC include?
External controls: Verify accuracy and precision
Electronic controls: Verify functional ability of testing device
Proficiency testing (external quality assessment): Test unknown samples to provide unbiased validation
Examination variables: common errors
Sample misidentification
Misinterpretation of QC data
Reagent deterioration
Instrument malfunction
Interfering substances present
Quality Management: Postexamination Variables
Result errors
Postexamination Variables: common errors
Patient misidentification
Poor handwriting or transcription error
Failure to send report or call critical values
