Understanding Point-of-Care Testing

Which of the following is typically required information on a completed laboratory requisition form?

• Patient's favorite color

• Type of test ordered

• Patient's lunch preference

• Name of the laboratory technician

What does the acronym CLIA stand for in the context of laboratory testing?

• Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments

• Clinical Laboratory International Association

• Certified Laboratory Inspection Agency

• Clinical Lab Information Act

Which of the following is an example of a preanalytical error in laboratory testing?

• Using expired reagents during analysis

• Incorrectly labeling the specimen

• Misinterpreting test results

• Reporting results to the wrong physician

What is the primary purpose of quality controls in point-of-care testing?

• To increase the number of tests performed

• To ensure accuracy and reliability of test results

• To reduce the cost of testing

• To speed up the testing process

A laboratory test result falls outside the reference range. What should be the first step in addressing this situation?

• Immediately discard the result

• Verify the result and check for possible errors

• Ignore the result

• Report the result without verification

Which of the following best describes the difference between internal and external quality controls in laboratory testing?

• Internal controls are performed by outside agencies, external controls are performed in-house

• Internal controls are built into the test system, external controls are separate samples tested periodically

• Both are performed at the same time using the same materials

• There is no difference between internal and external controls

A provider orders a point-of-care glucose test for a patient. Which of the following steps is essential to ensure proper specimen collection?

• Using a clean, dry lancet for fingerstick

• Collecting the specimen after the patient eats a large meal

• Using the same lancet for multiple patients

• Skipping hand hygiene before collection

A laboratory technician notices that the control sample for a CLIA-waived test is out of range. What should the technician do next?

• Continue testing patient samples as usual

• Stop testing and troubleshoot the issue before proceeding

• Ignore the control result

• Report all results as normal

A patient’s potassium level is reported as critically high. The provider suspects a preanalytical error. Which of the following scenarios could explain this result?

• The blood sample was hemolyzed during collection

• The test was performed using the wrong reagent

• The analyzer malfunctioned during testing

• The result was transcribed incorrectly

A clinic is reviewing its procedures after several postanalytical errors were discovered. Which strategy would best help reduce future postanalytical errors?

• Implementing double-checks for result entry and reporting

• Using expired test kits

• Skipping quality control checks

• Ignoring out-of-range control results