Storage, stocktaking and ordering supplies 1www.forum.advetresearch.com

Storage, stocktaking and ordering supplies Glassware Keep glassware on the shelves of a cupboard away from dust. Flasks should be plugged with non-absorbent cotton and arranged by type and size.

Chemicals and reagents Arrange chemicals and reagents in strict alphabetical order. Acids and inflammable and dangerous chemicals (indicated by appropriately colored labels) should be stored separately in a special section. Poisons (also indicated by appropriately colored labels) should be stored separately in a locked cupboard.

Instruments and Equipment Instrument must be kept on a fixed bench. Some instruments, e.g. spectrophotometers, should be kept in an air-conditioned room if the climate is hot and humid. Periodical maintenance of the instruments is required to insure the accuracy of the results. The results produced by the instruments must be checked by applying a quality control for the different analyzed parameters. All laboratories should have a well-organized equipment management programme. The programme should address equipment selection, maintenance, and procedures for troubleshooting and repair.

Stocktaking Stock cards A stock card should be prepared for every chemical, stain, piece of glassware, etc (Table 1). The stock cards include data about every ordered item in the laboratory, with registered information about date of order and receive, the date of issue and the expiry date of the item.

Item: Giemsa stain (250-ml bottle)Item no.: 29 Ordered from OrderedReceivedIssued In stockExpiry Date DateQuantityDateQuantityDateQuantity Company A bottles bottles4 bottles Company B Table 1. A sample stock card

Laboratory Quality Control An Overview 7www.forum.advetresearch.com

Definitions Quality Control - QC refers to the measures that must be included during each assay run to verify that the test is working properly. Quality Assurance - QA is defined as the overall program that ensures that the final results reported by the laboratory are correct. “The aim of quality control is simply to ensure that the results generated by the test are correct. However, quality assurance is concerned with much more: that the right test is carried out on the right specimen, and that the right result and right interpretation is delivered to the right person at the right time” 8www.forum.advetresearch.com

Definitions Quality Assessment - quality assessment (also known as proficiency testing) is a means to determine the quality of the results generated by the laboratory. Quality assessment is a challenge to the effectiveness of the QA and QC programs. 9www.forum.advetresearch.com

Variables that affect the quality of results  The educational background and training of the laboratory personnel.  The condition of the specimens.  The controls used in the test runs.  Reagents.  Equipment.  The interpretation of the results.  The record of results.  The reporting of results 10www.forum.advetresearch.com