Quality Assurance and Laboratory Operations Flashcards
6 cards from real Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Quality Assurance and Laboratory Operations flashcards as text
What does the term 'hemolysis' mean in the context of a blood specimen?
Answer: Rupture of red blood cells releasing hemoglobin into the plasma
Hemolysis is the destruction of red blood cells, releasing hemoglobin and intracellular contents that interfere with many laboratory tests.
Which of the following is an example of a pre-analytical error in phlebotomy?
Answer: Mislabeling a specimen tube at the bedside
Mislabeling a specimen is a pre-analytical error occurring before the sample reaches the laboratory, and it is one of the most common and dangerous errors.
What information is required on a properly labeled specimen tube according to CLSI standards?
Answer: Patient full name, date of birth, collection date and time, and collector ID
CLSI requires patient full name, date of birth, collection date and time, and the collector's identification on every labeled tube.
What is the maximum recommended time a centrifuged specimen should sit before aliquoting to prevent result changes?
Answer: 2 hours
Serum or plasma should be aliquoted within 2 hours of centrifugation to prevent analyte degradation and cellular metabolism changes.
Which document must accompany a specimen when it is transported to a reference laboratory?
Answer: Chain of custody form or requisition with required identifiers
A chain of custody form or test requisition with patient identifiers, test ordered, and collection details must accompany all specimens sent to reference labs.
What is lipemia, and how does it affect laboratory specimens?
Answer: Excess lipids (triglycerides) causing cloudy serum; interferes with many chemistry tests
Lipemia is excess lipids in the blood producing turbid/cloudy serum that can interfere with spectrophotometric assays and many automated chemistry tests.