Quality Control and Quality Assurance Flashcards
7 cards from real Histology Certification practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Quality Control and Quality Assurance flashcards as text
When selecting tissue for use as an IHC positive control, the most important criterion is that the tissue:
Answer: Must contain a known, confirmed concentration of the target antigen
The positive control tissue must contain a verified, known quantity of target antigen to reliably confirm that the antibody is detecting the correct antigen at the expected intensity.
In H&E quality control assessment, 'eosin intensity' is evaluated by examining:
Answer: The pink-to-red coloration of cytoplasm and extracellular matrix components
Eosin is an acidophilic dye staining cytoplasm, collagen, and extracellular matrix pink to red; evaluating this coloration is a standard H&E QC parameter for stain quality.
Which instrument must be regularly calibrated and verified in histology QC to ensure consistent tissue section thickness?
Answer: Microtome used for cutting paraffin-embedded tissue
The microtome must be regularly calibrated to ensure it cuts at the correct and consistent thickness, as section thickness directly affects staining quality and diagnostic accuracy.
A 'delta check' in laboratory quality control is used to:
Answer: Compare a patient's current result with their previous result to detect unexpected discrepancies
A delta check flags unexpected changes between a patient's current and prior results, helping identify pre-analytical errors such as specimen mix-ups or mislabeling.
According to best QC practices, internal control slides in a histology laboratory should be stained:
Answer: With each staining run or batch of patient slides processed
QC slides must accompany every staining run so that any run-specific failure is detected before patient results are reported, preventing diagnostic errors.
What is the purpose of 'method validation' when a new staining procedure is introduced in a histology laboratory?
Answer: To confirm the procedure performs as expected and meets defined criteria before use on patient specimens
Method validation establishes that a new procedure reliably produces accurate, reproducible results within acceptable performance limits before it is used for patient diagnosis.
When an 'out-of-control' QC result is identified in histology, the laboratory must:
Answer: Hold or repeat affected patient results until the problem is identified and corrected
Patient results from an out-of-control run cannot be reported until root cause is identified and corrective action verified, as the results may be unreliable and could harm patient care.