Question

1. AKC Blood Center collects more than 600 platelet apheresis products each month. Platelet counts for donors and these products are determined using KB1, a state-of-the-art automated hematology instrument. This piece of equipment, similar to many others, requires extensive QC and preventive maintenance by the manufacturer. During the last 4 days, Fred, the medical technologist assigned to run the instrument, has failed to notice that the low-level control has consistently fallen below the mean. Fred has been too busy trying to train new personnel in the department and has had no time to plot his results on the QC chart, which is a departmental procedure requirement. If he performed this task, he would have noticed the obvious shift. Today the new trainee, Fran, is running platelet counts with Fred’s assistance. Once again, the low-level control falls below the mean. On this run, the control falls outside the manufacturer’s range altogether. Fran notices the value is flagged by KB1 and notifies Fred of the problem. Fred is too busy on the phone handling an irate call from a client hospital and tells Fran to “keep running it until it falls in. You know, sometimes it takes a while for controls to come in.”

a. If you were Fred’s supervisor, what would you do?

b. What is the root cause of the problem?

c. What steps can be taken to prevent this situation?

d. What is your opinion of Fred’s results since he started using the instrument?

Answer 1

a. I would immediately suggest to perform extensive QC and preventive maintenance by the manufacturer as based on this only the result accuracy depends.

b.the main root cause is not carrying out msinrainance services of the equipment within stipulated time and continuous use of machine require the calibration and servicing and these are not carried out as per protocols .

C.To prevent this

Once stop using the machine continuosly

Carry out the maintainince and servicing required.

Frequently carryout the calibration and quality check

If any problem or deviations occurs immediately contact the manufacturer for better servicing.

d. Fred is an good end user of the machine but at the same time he should train another personnel regarding the operation the equipment.

Apart from that due tooreirk stress he didnot done the quality control check in the required time and this may exhibit false results.

Due to lack of timely maintainince the machine may gets damaged or spoiled