Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Quality Assurance and Laboratory Operations 2

Question 1

What is the purpose of a delta check in laboratory quality assurance?

Accepted Answer

To compare a patient's current result against their previous result to flag critical changes

Answer

A delta check compares a patient's current lab value against prior results to detect specimen mix-up, collection errors, or true critical patient changes.

Question 2

Under HIPAA, a phlebotomist may share a patient's test results with:

Accepted Answer

Only individuals authorized by the patient or directly involved in their care

Answer

HIPAA restricts disclosure of protected health information (PHI) to only those authorized by the patient or directly involved in their care.

Question 3

Which term describes a specimen collected at the wrong time relative to medication administration?

Accepted Answer

Timing error (trough/peak mislabel)

Answer

Collecting a drug-level specimen at the wrong time (e.g., confusing trough and peak draws) is a timing error that renders therapeutic drug monitoring results invalid.

Question 4

What does 'stat' mean when applied to a laboratory request?

Accepted Answer

Immediate/urgent processing required

Answer

'Stat' (from Latin 'statim') means immediately, and these specimens receive priority processing with the fastest possible turnaround time.

Question 5

A patient's fasting blood glucose is ordered. How long must the patient have fasted before collection?

Accepted Answer

8–12 hours

Answer

A fasting glucose requires 8–12 hours of no caloric intake to obtain a baseline measurement unaffected by recent food consumption.

Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Practice Test

Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Practice Test

Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Quality Assurance and Laboratory Operations 2