Deck 15: Introduction to the Clinical Laboratory

Question 1

What is the purpose of performing a routine test?

A) To detect the presence of an acute infection
B) To assist in the clinical diagnosis of a patient's condition
C) To assist in the early detection of disease
D) To determine the medication dosage to administer to a patient

Answer 1

To assist in the early detection of disease

Question 2

What temperature is usually required for storing testing materials and performing laboratory tests?

A) Body temperature
B) Room temperature
C) A very cold temperature
D) A temperature between 100 $\degree$ F (37.8 $\degree$ C)and 104 $\degree$ F (40 $\degree$ C)

Answer 2

Room temperature

Question 3

Detection of abnormal cells is known as

A) hematology.
B) immunology and blood banking.
C) clinical chemistry.
D) cytology.
E) histology.

Answer 3

cytology.

Question 4

All of the following are guidelines for storing specimens and testing components in a laboratory refrigerator except:

A) Attach a biohazard warning label to the refrigerator.
B) Maintain the refrigerator temperature between 36 $\degree$ F (2.2 $\degree$ C)and 46 $\degree$ F (7.8 $\degree$ C).
C) Check the temperature of the refrigerator once each week.
D) Do not store food in the refrigerator.

Question 5

All of the following are reasons for indicating the clinical diagnosis on the laboratory request form except:

A) To alert laboratory personnel to the presence of a possible pathogen
B) To inform laboratory personnel of the source of the specimen
C) To assist in third-party billing
D) To correlate laboratory data with the needs of the provider

Question 6

All of the following are found in a laboratory directory except:

A) Names and CPT codes of the tests performed by the laboratory
B) Patient preparation required for laboratory tests
C) Amount and type of specimen required by the laboratory
D) Instructions for testing specimens
E) Handling and storage of laboratory specimens

Question 7

What is a profile?

A) A substance that is being identified or measured in a laboratory test
B) A quantitative laboratory test
C) An array of laboratory tests for identifying a disease
D) A laboratory test that is required by state law

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of using a laboratory test to assist in the differential diagnosis of a patient's condition?

A) Running a profile on a patient who complains of vague symptoms
B) Performing a strep test to determine if a patient has strep throat or pharyngitis
C) Performing an OGTT on a patient who exhibits the symptoms of diabetes
D) Performing a CBC on a patient as part of a general physical examination

Question 9

How are laboratory reports delivered to the medical office?

A) Faxed
B) Mailed
C) Hand-delivered by a laboratory courier
D) Electronically
E) All of the above

Question 10

The study of blood and the blood-forming tissues is known as

A) hematology.
B) immunology and blood banking.
C) clinical chemistry.
D) cytology.
E) histology.

Question 11

All of the following are included on a laboratory request form except:

A) provider's name and address
B) Patient's age and gender
C) Date and time of collection of the specimen
D) Source of the specimen
E) Laboratory test results

Question 12

All of the following are advantages of the laboratory component of an EMR program except:

A) Laboratory requests can be completed on the computer.
B) Laboratory requests can be transmitted electronically to the medical laboratory.
C) The type of tests required by the patient can be determined by the program.
D) Laboratory tests performed on a routine based can be plotted on a flow sheet.

Question 13

All of the following are included in a lipid profile except:

A) Glucose
B) Total cholesterol
C) HDL cholesterol
D) Triglycerides

Question 14

Which of the following occurs when the body is in homeostasis?

A) Laboratory test results are above the reference range.
B) An imbalance exists in the body.
C) Laboratory test results fall within the reference range.
D) Laboratory test results are invalid.

Question 15

What is the purpose of the patient accession number found on the laboratory report?

A) To provide identification of each specimen in the laboratory
B) To provide information required for third-party billing
C) To identify the source of the specimen
D) To assist the provider in making a diagnosis
E) All of the above

Question 16

The study of antigen-antibody reactions to assess the presence of a substance or to determine the presence of disease is known as

A) hematology.
B) immunology and blood banking.
C) clinical chemistry.
D) cytology.
E) histology.

Question 17

The purpose of patient preparation for a laboratory test is to

A) reduce patient discomfort during specimen collection.
B) provide a specimen that yields accurate test results.
C) ensure that the test results fall within the normal range.
D) ensure that the patient receives the proper treatment.

Question 18

What is the purpose of a laboratory report?

A) To indicate the patient diagnosis
B) To relay the results of laboratory tests to the provider
C) To order laboratory tests on a patient
D) To indicate the patient prognosis

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of using a laboratory test to regulate treatment?

A) A diabetic patient tests his or her blood to determine how much insulin to administer.
B) A patient undergoes a blood cholesterol screening test.
C) A CBC is performed to determine if a patient has anemia.
D) A gonorrhea test is performed on a pregnant woman as required by state law.

Question 20

Which of the following assists the provider in making a diagnosis?

A) Health history
B) Physical examination
C) Laboratory tests
D) Diagnostic tests
E) All of the above

Question 21

What is the term for a test result that indicates whether a substance is present in the specimen being tested and provides an approximate indication of the amount of the substance present?

A) Quantitative test result
B) Positive test result
C) Negative test result
D) Qualitative test result

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of a unique identifier?

A) Date and time of the specimen collection
B) Patient's name and date of birth
C) Medical assistant's initials
D) Source of the specimen

Question 23

The purpose of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA)is to

A) improve the quality of laboratory testing in the United States.
B) prevent the exposure of employees to bloodborne pathogens in the workplace.
C) ensure safety in the laboratory.
D) prevent errors in technique during laboratory testing.

Question 24

If a laboratory report is returned to the medical office marked QNS,it means that

A) an insufficient amount of the specimen was submitted.
B) the patient did not prepare properly for the test.
C) the test results fall outside of the normal range.
D) a contaminated specimen was submitted.

Question 25

Why is it important to handle and store a specimen properly?

A) To reduce the time needed to test the specimen
B) To maintain the in vitro qualities of the specimen
C) To ensure valid results from quality control methods
D) To maintain the in vivo qualities of the specimen

Question 26

Which of the following laboratory tests requires fasting?

A) OGTT
B) Comprehensive metabolic profile
C) Triglycerides
D) FBG
E) All of the above

Question 27

If a POL is performing moderate-complexity tests,CLIA requires

A) proficiency testing three times per year.
B) calibration procedures at least every 6 months.
C) two levels of controls daily.
D) a system to identify patient specimens throughout the testing process.
E) All of the above

Question 28

Antibiotics taken by the patient before the collection of a throat specimen for culture may result in

A) a false-negative report.
B) overgrowth of the specimen with extraneous microorganisms.
C) a false-positive report.
D) an allergic reaction.

Question 29

What type of results are produced by a high-level control?

A) Results that fall below the reference range for the test
B) Invalid results
C) Results that fall above the reference range for the test
D) Positive results

Question 30

Which of the following may cause a control to fail to produce expected results?

A) Outdated testing reagents
B) Not performing the control procedure correctly
C) Improper storage of testing components
D) All of the above

Question 31

All of the following are examples of CLIA-waived tests except:

A) Fecal occult blood testing
B) Urine pregnancy testing
C) Blood glucose determination
D) Microscopic analysis of urine sediment

Question 32

Which of the following is a violation of laboratory safety precautions?

A) Disposing of broken glassware in a puncture-resistant container
B) Talking in the laboratory
C) Opening a centrifuge before it comes to a complete stop
D) Recapping reagent bottles immediately after use

Question 33

The purpose of quality control is to

A) prevent accidents in the laboratory.
B) protect the medical assistant from bloodborne pathogens.
C) ensure accurate and valid test results.
D) ensure that the test results fall within the normal range.
E) All of the above

Question 34

What is the term for a substance that is being identified or measured in a laboratory test?

A) Standard
B) Analyte
C) Calibration
D) Control

Question 35

Which of the following is a quality control method?

A) Discarding outdated reagents
B) Proper storage of test systems
C) Calibration
D) Allowing refrigerated controls to come to room temperature before use
E) All of the above

Question 36

A patient who is fasting (in preparation for a laboratory test)is allowed to consume

A) baked chicken.
B) water.
C) diet soda.
D) orange juice.
E) None of the above

Question 37

Which of the following is included in a product insert of a testing kit?

A) Intended use
B) Principles of the procedure
C) Storage and stability
D) Interpretation and reading results
E) All of the above

Question 38

A small sample taken from the body to represent the nature of the whole is known as a

A) laboratory test.
B) culture.
C) specimen.
D) biopsy.

Question 39

What is the name for a control that is built into the test system?

A) External control
B) Standard
C) Proficiency control
D) Internal control

Question 40

What should be done if a control does not perform as expected?

A) Do not perform patient testing until the problem is resolved.
B) Perform patient testing as usual.
C) Perform calibration procedures.
D) Record results as invalid.