How often are QC samples run before patient samples?

How often are QC samples run before patient samples?

• A. Weekly
• B. Monthly
• C. Annually
• D. Daily before patient samples

Answer: (D)

Quality control checks are performed to verify that an assay is performing correctly before patient results are released. Running QC samples daily before patient samples ensures that any day-to-day issues—such as instrument drift, reagent problems, or calibration errors—are detected before patient tests are reported. This practice protects patient safety and data accuracy, since less frequent QC (weekly, monthly, or annually) could miss early indicators of problems. While some laboratories may perform additional QC steps during a run, at a minimum they start each analytical run with QC to confirm everything is in spec for that day.

Quality control checks are performed to verify that an assay is performing correctly before patient results are released. Running QC samples daily before patient samples ensures that any day-to-day issues—such as instrument drift, reagent problems, or calibration errors—are detected before patient tests are reported. This practice protects patient safety and data accuracy, since less frequent QC (weekly, monthly, or annually) could miss early indicators of problems. While some laboratories may perform additional QC steps during a run, at a minimum they start each analytical run with QC to confirm everything is in spec for that day.