ABFM Quality Control & Process Improvement 5

Question 1

A forensic laboratory's turnaround time (TAT) for toxicology cases has been increasing. Which lean tool would BEST help identify where delays are occurring in the workflow?

Accepted Answer

Value stream mapping

Answer

Value stream mapping visually depicts each step and its associated time in a process, making bottlenecks and non-value-added delays immediately visible.

Question 2

The term 'uncertainty of measurement' in forensic laboratory reports refers to:

Accepted Answer

A parameter characterizing the dispersion of values attributable to the measurand

Answer

Measurement uncertainty quantifies the range within which the true value of the measurand is estimated to lie with stated confidence.

Question 3

Which QC strategy involves testing patient samples in duplicate and flagging results when the two values differ by more than a defined limit?

Accepted Answer

Duplicate analysis rule

Answer

Duplicate analysis compares replicate measurements of the same sample; discordant duplicates indicate random error or specimen heterogeneity.

Question 4

In the context of forensic laboratory quality management, 'traceability' of measurement results means:

Accepted Answer

Linking a measurement result to a reference standard through an unbroken chain of calibrations

Answer

Metrological traceability establishes an unbroken chain of comparisons from the result back to a national or international measurement standard.

Question 5

A process capability index (Cpk) of 0.8 for a forensic blood stain collection kit dimension indicates:

Accepted Answer

The process produces defects because it is not meeting specification limits adequately

Answer

A Cpk below 1.0 indicates the process is incapable of consistently meeting specifications, generating defects outside tolerance limits.

(ABFM) American Board of Forensic Medicine Certification Practice Test

(ABFM) American Board of Forensic Medicine Certification Practice Test

ABFM Quality Control & Process Improvement 5