How is Quality Control defined?

• A. the collection of technical activities the measure the laboratory performance against defined standards designed to ensure adequate quality.
• B. The daily schedule for sample intake.
• C. The process of training personnel in ethics.
• D. A method for measuring instrument temperatures.

Answer: (A)

Quality Control involves the collection of technical activities that measure the laboratory’s performance against defined standards to ensure adequate quality. It includes using control samples, monitoring instrument performance, applying acceptance criteria, and tracking results over time to detect errors, bias, or drift. This helps ensure accuracy and reliability of test results and indicates when corrective actions are needed before patient results are reported.

The other items describe separate aspects: a daily schedule for sample intake relates to workflow rather than quality assessment; training in ethics is about professional conduct; and measuring instrument temperatures is a maintenance or environmental control activity, not the ongoing assessment of lab performance against standards central to QC.