management/administration

An Introduction to Laboratory Regulations – Part II (Testing Complexity)

Last month we reviewed the different federal regulatory agencies responsible for establishing laboratory testing guidelines, and a brief overview of the different roles each department has. This month we’ll attempt to demystify testing complexity (waived, non-waived, PPM) and why testing classification matters. Still to come, we’ll review the optional accreditations available to labs, and how accreditation differs from certification.

For all in vitro diagnostic tests, the FDA is responsible for categorizing each test based on their perceived complexity during the pre-market approval process. From least to most complex, the categorizations are waived, moderate complexity, and high complexity. The reason this is important is because with each jump in test category, the CLIA rules associated with performing testing will change – as will the permit designation required to perform testing. This includes things such as QC requirements, validation testing, and personnel requirements to define who can perform testing in the first place.

Waived tests are considered easy to use, with little to no chance that the test result will provide wrong information or cause harm if it is done incorrectly. This includes over-the-counter tests such as home use urine pregnancy kits, where if the sample is applied incorrectly or in insufficient volume there will simply be no result obtained at all. Many Point of Care tests fall under this category, with testing performed in a wide variety of locations including physician offices, urgent care clinics, imaging centers and nursing homes. Locations performing waived testing only are still required to obtain an appropriate CLIA Certificate of Waiver. (See the reference links at the end for a list of all FDA approved CLIA-Waived tests.)

For waived testing, laboratories must follow the manufacturer’s instructions for testing, including the stated FDA approved intended use, without any deviation. If the procedure is modified, or the test is used with specimens not approved by the FDA – the complexity classification of the test will change from waived to high complexity. A common situation where this occurs is with fingerstick whole blood glucometers. Most device manufacturers on the market today for point of care glucose testing are not FDA approved for use with critically ill patients. Using these waived meters for patients deemed “critically ill” based on your local institution’s designation would change the complexity of testing from waived, to high, for this population of patients as it would be considered “off-label use” – meaning you are using it against FDA recommendations and approved forms of use for the test/instrument.

Another caveat to be mindful of is your local state regulations. Certain states (NY, especially) have very strict rules regarding testing complexity designation. In NY, all tests performed within the same designated laboratory space will have the same testing complexity designation. Meaning that if you have a moderate complexity CBC analyzer in the same room you perform your waived urine pregnancy tests – both are now considered moderate complexity. Even though you’re following the manufacturer’s instructions for the pregnancy kit, using only approved specimen types, and the kit is on the FDA approved CLIA-Waived list – that test is now moderate complexity just because it is in the same room as other higher complexity tests. That same pregnancy kit is considered waived when kept separate in the emergency department, but becomes moderate complexity (or higher) when used in the central laboratory.

Nonwaived tests refer to both moderate and high complexity testing. After the FDA has approved a marketing submission, their CLIA categorization of the test follows by utilizing a scorecard to grade the test complexity on 7 different criteria. All phases of testing (preanalytic, analytic and postanalytic) are evaluated in these steps:

Knowledge – low scores require minimal scientific and technical knowledge to perform the test, and knowledge needed can be easily obtained through on-the-job instruction.
Training & Experience – low scores require minimal training and limited experience to perform the test.
Reagents & Materials Preparation – low scores have stable and reliable reagents, and require no special handling, precautions, or storage conditions. They typically come prepackaged, premeasured, and ready for use; whereas high scores may include manual steps such as volumetric measurements and/or reconstitution.
Characteristics of Operational Steps – low scores have automatically executed steps (such as dispensing specific volumes of sample/reagent, temperature monitoring, or timing of steps); high scores require close monitoring or control, precise temperatures or timing, accurate pipetting or extensive calculations.
Calibration, Quality Control, and Proficiency Testing Materials – low scores have all required reagents, controls and PT material commercially available and products are stable.
Test System Troubleshooting & Equipment Maintenance – low scores have automatic troubleshooting or self-correction of errors (failed internal QC will automatically repeat), or requires minimal judgement. Equipment maintenance will be performed by the manufacturer or is minimal and easily performed, whereas high scores require decision-making and direct intervention to resolve most issues, or maintenance tasks require special skills and abilities.
Interpretation & Judgement – low scores require minimal interpretation and judgement for resolution of problems or determination of test results.

Low scores indicate low complexity, with tests obtaining a total score of ≤12 being categorized as moderate complexity. Tests with final scores >12 are categorized as high complexity.

PPM: Within the category of nonwaived tests is a subcategory referred to as Provider Performed Microscopy (PPM). These are tests that are performed directly by a clinician during a patient visit, and require the use of a microscope limited to bright-field or phase-contrast microscopy. Based on the nature of the sample obtained, testing must be performed immediately at the time of collection as delays could compromise the accuracy of test results. As controls are typically not commercially available for these tests, the testing is restricted to clinicians only as knowledge and judgment is required to confirm testing accuracy and correlation to the clinical presentation.

Tests allowed under a PPM certificate are mostly related to OB/GYN procedures, with a full list available through CMS here:

https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/CLIA/Downloads/ppmplist.pdf

So why does it matter?

So the next time you receive a request to add a new test at your laboratory, you’ll be armed with a fairly long list of the requirements that come with that test based on its complexity. Coming up next month we’ll discuss the difference between laboratory certification and accreditation, along with the benefits of obtaining accreditation for your lab.

References

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1248e3189da5e5f936e55315402bc38b&node=pt42.5.493&rgn=div5
CLIA-Waived Analytes: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfClia/analyteswaived.cfm
CLIA Complexity Database: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCLIA/Search.cfm?sAN=0
FDA Approved Devices: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/devicesatfda/index.cfm

-Kyle Nevins, MS, MLS(ASCP)^CM is one of ASCP’s 2018 Top 5 in the 40 Under Forty recognition program. She has worked in the medical laboratory profession for over 18 years. In her current position, she transitions between performing laboratory audits across the entire Northwell Health System on Long Island, NY, consulting for at-risk laboratories outside of Northwell Health, bringing laboratories up to regulatory standards, and acting as supervisor and mentor in labs with management gaps.

The Disaster Risk Assessment

There are multiple types of risk assessments required when managing a laboratory safety program. OSHA’s Bloodborne and Airborne pathogens standards require assessing the risk of employees’ exposure to particular lab hazards. Risk assessments can be used to determine whether or not to add an emergency eyewash station, and all lab chemicals need to be assessed for the hazards they pose. These are just some assessments that are needed, and there are particular steps to take when performing them. But what about the lab emergency management plan? Should the lab perform a risk assessment for that? The answer is yes, although the terminology used may be different. To prepare a disaster readiness plan for the lab, the risk assessment that is needed is known as a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that all healthcare facilities use an “all-hazards” approach when considering emergency preparedness and planning. While some laboratories may be included with the facility-wide disaster plan, the lab should absolutely have its own plan with specific instructions that apply directly to the department. That means the lab should also consider an all-hazards approach.

It may seem daunting to try to consider every possible disaster that could occur in the department, but that is not exactly what the directive from CMS dictates. An all-hazards approach means that emergency plans should be scalable or flexible so that it can be used for many types of disasters. The plan should focus on the lab’s ability to continue to offer services, especially those deemed critical, as a disaster situation unfolds.

The first step to the plan creation is the risk assessment- the Hazard Vulnerability Analysis. The HVA can be a table that lists all of the potential types of disaster; natural, man-made, facility-specific, etc. List as many as you can think of, and be sure to include specific disasters that may be particular to your locale (earthquakes, blizzards, etc.). Rate each disaster type by probability, severity of impact, and level of readiness of the lab to respond. Using that data, you can calculate the risk percentage for each emergency type.

One other requirement imposed by CMS is that facilities must include emerging infectious diseases as one potential type of hazard class. With the advent of particular diseases in the past years like Ebola, Zika, and certain influenza types, it is important to consider how an outbreak would affect lab operations and staffing. The risk level of infectious diseases may vary as incidents and outbreaks occur in particular geographic regions or if pandemics arise.

The HVA should be reviewed and updated as necessary each year. Things change that can affect what is on your HVA list. The addition of a nearby airport might make you consider adding airline disaster to the HVA. A change in weather patterns could occur as well. In 2011 a surprise earthquake in Virginia made state facilities re-look at their HVA list of possible emergency situations. Also, the actual list of disasters might not change, but there may be a change in the potential of a particular incident occurring.

If your lab or facility has not yet performed the HVA risk assessment, there is no need to panic. There are several model HVA tools available on line that can be used. As with any risk assessment, be sure to keep documentation readily available, review it each year, and make sure staff are trained about not only the HVA process, but in how to use the emergency management plan as well. There is a great amount of work that can go into preparing for a disaster, and training and drills for your staff will help to facilitate a smoother activation of the plan when the real emergency situation occurs.

–Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ) has over 25 years experience as a certified medical technologist. Today he is the Laboratory Safety Officer for Sentara Healthcare, a system of seven hospitals and over 20 laboratories and draw sites in the Tidewater area of Virginia. He is also known as Dan the Lab Safety Man, a lab safety consultant, educator, and trainer.

An Introduction to Laboratory Regulations: Part 1

Everyone who works in a laboratory knows that there are certain rules and regulations to be followed to ensure accuracy in testing, and the safety of both the patient and testing personnel. With all the acronyms floating around (CLIA, FDA, CAP, CMS, TJC) it can get confusing to keep track of who controls what, and which rules apply to your specific lab. In the first installment of this 3-part series on regulations, we’ll review the different federal agencies responsible for oversight and moderation of the laboratory. In part 2 we’ll go further in-depth to demystify testing complexity (waived, non-waived, PPM) and why it’s important to know the correct classification for the tests you perform. Lastly, we’ll review the optional accreditations available to labs, and how accreditation differs from certification.

CLIA

CLIA refers to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. These amendments were drafted to the Public Health Services Act, in which the federal program was revised to include certification and oversight of clinical laboratory testing. Although there have been two additional amendments made after 1988 (1997, 2012), the law still continues to be cited as CLIA ’88 as it is named within legislation.

These CLIA regulations helped to establish quality standards for all U.S. laboratory testing performed on human specimens (except for research) for the purpose of assessment of health, or the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease. The regulations cover all aspects of testing including general laboratory requirements, quality monitors, pre-analytics, analytic performance, post-analytics, and personnel requirements.

In addition to setting the basic ground rules for performing quality laboratory testing, the CLIA regulations also require clinical laboratories to be certified by their state as well as the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) before accepting human samples for diagnostic testing. Laboratories can obtain multiple types of CLIA certificates, based on the kinds of diagnostic tests they perform. In order for laboratories to receive payments from Medicare or Medicaid, laboratories must be properly certified for the testing they are performing and billing for.

There are 3 federal agencies responsible for enforcing the CLIA regulations: The Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each agency has a unique role in assuring quality laboratory testing.

CMS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal agency responsible for ensuring that the CLIA standards are upheld and enforced. Their responsibilities include the following:

Issuing laboratory certificates
Collecting user fees
Conducting inspections and enforcing regulatory compliance
Approving private accreditation organizations (such as CAP) for performing inspections, and approves state exemptions
Monitoring laboratory performance on Proficiency Testing (PT) and approving PT programs
Publishing CLIA rules and regulations

FDA

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is primarily responsible for reviewing and approving new tests, instruments, and equipment used in diagnostic laboratories. They also perform the following tasks:

Categorize tests based on complexity
Review requests for Waiver by Application from manufacturers
Develop rules/guidance for CLIA complexity categorization

CDC

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) responsibilities include the following tasks:

Provide analysis, research, and technical assistance
Develop technical standards and laboratory practice guidelines, including standards and guidelines for cytology
Conduct laboratory quality improvement studies
Monitor proficiency testing practices
Develop and distribute professional information and educational resources
Manage the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC)

To summarize, CLIA establishes the rules and guidelines that laboratories must follow to ensure they are providing accurate laboratory results. Federal agencies then work together to support the CLIA amendments and enforce compliance. All certified laboratories will be subject to inspection by regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with the rules. In some cases, your local state Department of Health (DOH) or accrediting agency may be more stringent or have additional requirements to be followed – always go with the stricter requirement to ensure compliance with all agencies.

Coming up next we’ll review how the FDA decides the complexity of each test, and how this designation will affect the CLIA rules to be followed.

References

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1248e3189da5e5f936e55315402bc38b&node=pt42.5.493&rgn=div5
Interpretive Guidelines for Laboratories: https://www.cms.gov/regulations-and-guidance/legislation/clia/interpretive_guidelines_for_laboratories.html

Think S.P.I.L.L.E.D.

Large biological and chemical spills are not a common occurrence in the laboratory. That’s a good thing, but when they do occur, they can create a very dangerous situation. It is vital that lab staff know how to handle such events even though they may not be commonplace.

Some laboratories differentiate between large and small spills. They may have an emergency number to call for a hazardous spill response team. Other smaller facilities simply don’t have that in place. Either way, it’s important for laboratory professionals to know they are the experts about the biological and chemical materials they use, and they need to be in charge as the experts when a spill situation needs to be managed.

Most laboratory spills can be managed using a standardized step-wise process known as the S.P.I.L.L.E.D. procedure. I don’t usually ask lab staff to memorize the acronym, but having the information contained on a poster with the lab spill kits can make a clean-up procedure go smoothly.

S = Secure the Site – Make sure no one walks through the area where a spill has occurred. It could be a dangerous situation if a hazardous chemical is spilled, and you would never want someone slipping in the area or tracking the spilled material to another area.

P = Protect Yourself – Arm yourself with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In a lab spill event, this would mean using a lab coat, gloves, and face protection to prevent accidental splashes.

I = Inspect the Spill – Look to see what was spilled. If it is a hazardous chemical, is there a concern about fumes? Obtain a Safety Data Sheet to see if section 6 will give any special information about handling the accidental release or spill of that chemical. Consider other spill concerns such as broken glass or possible ignition sources if flammable material is involved.

L = Lay Down a Barrier – If the spill is large and spreading, lay down spill pillows or booms designed to contain a flow of liquids. Surround the spill area with these materials. Sometimes, the use of an emergency shower can create the need for a barrier to be made.

L = Lay Down Absorbents – No matter the size of the spill, the next step is to place any absorbent powders, granules or clean-up pads to soak up the spilled material. If the absorbent is also a neutralizer, make sure you allow the necessary time for neutralization to occur.

E = Extract the Mess – Use implements to pick up the materials used for stopping and absorbing the spill.

D = Dispose of the Waste – Properly dispose of all materials involved with the spill clean-up. If there was glass involved, be sure to use a sharps container. Biohazard material should go into an appropriate container, and chemical waste materials may need to be disposed of separately for pick-up by a chemical waste vendor.

Lab staff should be able to access spill control materials quickly, and the necessary items should be stored in a location designated by signage. Perform an inventory of spill supplies and make sure there are adequate materials that could handle spills of the biohazards and chemicals stored and used in the department. Be sure items in the spill kit are not expired, and if there is no expiration date for absorbent powders, check them at least annually for effectiveness.

All laboratory staff need to have complete spill clean-up training. Give information about the types and locations of spill kits and how to handle various types of spills that can occur. Once that training is done, it will become important to perform spill drills in the department. Drills can be performed a number of different ways, but a common method involves having a “victim” spill water onto the floor and claim the material splashed into their eyes. Watch from a distance to see how the staff reacts. Do they provide appropriate first aid? Do they inspect the container label? Do they access the correct clean-up supplies and facilitate cleaning efficiently? Make notes of how the drill went, discuss them with the staff, and repeat the drills until all staff are comfortable with a spill situation. Biological and chemical spills should not be a common occurrence in the lab. When they do occur, however, the situation can become serious quickly, and a fast and effective clean-up needs to occur. Because these events are rare, it becomes important to provide regular spill training and drills so staff can remain ever-ready to handle them.

The Paperwork of Transgender Care

I don’t think anyone enjoys filling out the paperwork at a doctor’s office. For transgender individuals, this can be an experience that ranges from irksome to offensive. Most intake forms don’t allow for expression of their gender identity. Furthermore, confusion on gender and sex can create real confusion and healthcare failures in several places that laboratory medicine encounters a transgender individual.

Arguably the first place the lab encounters a transgender patient is via the phlebotomist. These professional collectors of blood must confirm two patient identifiers, which are often name and date of birth. The “name” used is the legal name. Using a transgender person’s “dead name” (name given at birth) represents a gender they do not want to be associated with and can be a very offensive experience. “Isn’t it obvious that name is not what I look like?”

While names can be legally changed, this happens with varying difficulty and legal cost in different states. A solution is to improve training of phlebotomists to explain the necessity of confirming a legal name so lab results are properly matched to the patient. Additionally, front-desk intake workers should be similarly trained to interact with transgender patients when recording demographic information. This can be aided by electronic health records (EHR) becoming more flexible and inclusive of the gender diversity.

Traditionally, EHR would only include one field for SEX: M or F.

Several in the laboratory community have asked how many different gender options should be included? Facebook included up to 71 options in 2017. That’s a big step up from the 2 traditional EHRs are built around.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) executive committee in 2011 outlined the recommended fields to include in EHR: preferred name, sex assigned at birth, gender, and pronoun preference. EHRs are evolving and can be flexible depending on the user requirements. At my program, we use EPIC at 3 different different sites (children’s, county and university hospitals) and each has a different version.

From what I’ve seen preferred name is an easy addition and would not interfere with functions of the EHR or Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), which is the Lab’s version of EHR.

If the field for sex assigned at birth is different from gender, then it would clear up any confusion about whether the person is transgender and then they should be addressed by the pronouns matching the gender. While there is a spectrum of genders, only transgender males and transgender females are of a high enough prevalence to have medically relevant recommendations. Plus, if a system at least starts here, they could expand further as necessitated by their population.

EHR could include preferred pronouns, but I haven’t seen this implemented in an EHR yet. Ideally, you would just use the pronouns that match the intended appearance of the individual (ma’am to someone wearing a dress, etc.).

Lastly, I think Legal sex should be added to the EHR as well. One of our hospitals has this and it makes several processes easier such as processing hormone medication.

Legal (or administrative) sex, sex assigned at birth, and gender data fields provide the clearest and simplest picture of a patient and should be a minimum for labs making recommendations for changes to HER.

Next month I will describe in greater detail the issues that can arise in the lab when gender or sex are entered incorrectly in the system for transgender patients and how this can negatively affect care delivery.

References

Deutsch MB, Green J, Keatley J, Mayer G, Hastings J, Hall AM, World Professional Association for Transgender Health EMR Working Group. Electronic medical records and the transgender patient: recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health EMR Working Group. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2013 Jul-Aug; 20(4):700-3.
Gupta S, Imborek KL, Krasowski MD. Challenges in Transgender Healthcare: The Pathology Perspective. Lab Med. 2016 Aug; 47(3):180-188.

-Jeff SoRelle, MD is a Chief Resident of Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. His clinical research interests include understanding how the lab intersects with transgender healthcare and improving genetic variant interpretation.

Tips for Performing Internal Lab Audits

In previous blog posts we discussed some hints and tips for how to survive when your lab is being inspected. Today we get to flip things around and let you be the inspector. Whether it’s an internal audit of your own laboratory, or an external inspection of a peer laboratory, we’ll discuss some ways to help keep you on track to cover the most important aspects of the overall testing process in a limited amount of time.

For external audit preparation, the CAP has a wonderful training program that all volunteer inspectors are required to take prior to participating in an inspection. For labs that are not CAP accredited, they still have helpful information on their website that is free and open to all: https://www.cap.org/laboratory-improvement/accreditation/inspector-training. CLSI document QMS15-A (Assessments: Laboratory Internal Audit Program; Approved Guideline) is another great resource to use when planning your audit.

The primary role of an auditor is to review policies, processes, and procedures to identify any inconsistencies (does your SOP match the manufacturer recommendations, and is staff following the SOP as written). Audits should focus on collecting objective evidence and facts, rather than subjective opinions. For example, staff failing to document required weekly maintenance tasks, as opposed to an auditor simply not liking the particular form the tasks are being documented on.

Define the Objective of the Audit

Laboratory leadership should be involved in the planning process to help define the scope and expected goal of performing the audit. This can range from an overall assessment of general laboratory quality and safety, to a more directed and focused audit on either a single department, instrument/test, or test process (specimen collection, physician notification of critical values, etc). The format for the audit findings should also be discussed – will the site require a formal, written report outlining all observations detected, or will a simple informal summation discussion be sufficient?

Draft a Schedule for the Audit

Once the scope of the audit is defined, a tentative schedule should be created so all staff involved in the audit process are aware and available to participate. If the audit will encompass multiple departments and all phases of testing (pre-analytic, analytic, post-analytic), it may be necessary to split the audit up over multiple days, or to recruit multiple auditors. The frequency of audits will depend on the perceived risk to quality based on previous findings or complaints received, but at a minimum should be completed annually.

Prepare for the Audit

Reach out to the local management team of the site being audited for help in gathering the information you’ll need to prepare. This can include things such as a testing activity menu, list of new instrumentation or new test validation studies, employee roster if personnel and competency records will be reviewed, and copies of previous audit/inspection results to check for corrective action implementation and sustainability. Review the information provided, and use it as a guide for where you feel your efforts should be focused on based on highest risk.

Utilize a Patient Tracer

Ask the site to pull all related records and reports for a particular patient sample by choosing a date, and specifying any particular characteristics for the specimen that you want to follow (such as age of the patient, sex, or focusing on abnormal/critical results). By asking the sites to prepare a patient tracer ahead of time, this will reduce the amount of time spent waiting and digging for specific files or log sheets as they are already organized and ready when you walk in for the audit. Tracers should adhere to the defined scope/objective of the audit, and will help you follow the path of a specimen through the entire process from pre-analytical, analytical, and finally post-analytical phases.

Pre-analytical: Include any specimen collection instructions or a printout/photocopy from the test directory for each test requested. This information should be compared to the information within the applicable SOPs to ensure they match and are both current and accurate. Physician orders can be included to confirm that the correct test was ordered and performed based on what was requested by the clinician.

Analytical: Copies of the related SOPs for the test being reviewed should be included. Ensure the SOPs have all required elements, including a current, valid signature of approval from the medical director. Instrument QC and maintenance logs for the day of testing, calibration records, and patient correlation studies should also be reviewed, along with the reagent lot-lot validation performed. When available, copies of the actual instrument printouts should be included to check for accuracy in result transcription. Training and competency records for the staff who performed any handling or testing of the specimens in question may also be reviewed.

Post-analytical: Check for supervisory review of patient log sheets and QC records, along with appropriate corrective actions documented as applicable. Review the patient results in the same format that is seen by the physician: confirm reference ranges and units of measure are accurate, interpretive notes are valid and appropriate, test methodology is stated when applicable, abnormal values are flagged, and confirm result transcription accuracy from the original instrument printout. Proficiency testing results should be reviewed for any unsuccessful events to confirm sustainability of corrective actions.

Conduct the Audit

Perform an objective review of the documents provided, along with any affiliated records and logs based on the scope of the audit (temperature logs, reagent inventory records, decontamination records, etc). As with an official inspection, be transparent with the staff as issues are identified so they can have an opportunity to clarify any confusion, or locate additional records that may be missing or incomplete. Document any discrepancies or possible issues noted, as well as any good lab practices observed that should be celebrated. When logging your findings, be specific and provide as much details as possible so the staff can quickly identify what was found and make the needed corrections (SOP numbers, dates, instrument serial numbers, etc).

In addition to reviewing documentation, perform a direct observation of the staff doing specific tasks. Are they following the steps outlined in their procedures, or are deviations noted? Rather than a formal interview, ask the staff to explain what they are doing, or why they are performing certain steps in a particular order. Again, the audit is not meant to be punitive or to ‘catch someone in the act’, but rather to help identify areas for improvement or clarification so that testing processes can be improved and standardized among all staff members. Asking open ended questions will provide more information than directed ones. For example, “Show me how you would access testing instructions if your computer network was down” as opposed to “Where are the paper versions of your SOPs?”

Prepare an Audit Report

The audit findings should be summarized for the site based on the format agreed upon during the initial planning stage (written report, verbal discussion). Whenever possible, similar findings should be grouped together so the location can identify systemic problems that need to be addressed on a more global level (expired reagents found in multiple departments, staff failing to utilize appropriate PPE in multiple departments, etc). Depending on the number and severity of the issues identified, sites may prefer to have the observations grouped by department as well for easy assignment of follow-up action items to the department leaders. Issues should also be ranked by risk severity so that the site knows where to focus their improvement efforts first: 1) Patient care and employee safety issues; 2) Regulatory compliance gaps; 3) Recommendations for improved overall good laboratory practice.

Implement Corrective Actions

Any issues identified during the audit should be assigned to a specific person for follow-up, along with an anticipated date of completion. Perform a proper root cause analysis to identify why the issue happened, and then decide how to correct it and prevent it from happening again. Depending on the scope of the audit, the audit team members may be involved with these tasks, or this may fall to the sole responsibility of the management team being inspected.

Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Audit

The utility of the audits will depend greatly on the commitment of laboratory leadership to both implement, and sustain, effective corrective actions based on the quality gaps identified. This can be assessed by the overall level of compliance with the regulations being checked, and comparing the results of this audit to previous and subsequent ones to hopefully show a downward trend in potential citations detected. The audit team should obtain feedback on the audit process to assess the inspected lab’s overall satisfaction with the program, the amount of support offered to the inspected laboratory, effectiveness of communication between the teams, and any potential areas for improvement in the process.

Performing internal audits is a great way to meet regulatory, accreditation, and customer requirements. It allows you an opportunity to identify non-conformances and risks that can affect both quality, and patient/employee safety. By performing regularly scheduled internal audits, not only will staff members become more experienced and better prepared for the official external inspections from regulatory and accrediting agencies, but the laboratory will move from a culture of reactive, corrective actions to that of a proactive model of continual improvements.

Regulating Your Lab Medical Waste

In general, there are two reasons employees in the laboratory should care about proper waste disposal. Improper disposal is expensive. Laboratorians like raises, bonuses, and updated equipment, but there is less money for those things when paper items are tossed into sharps containers or when used gloves go into red bag trash containers. Labs in many states also risk large fines if items with biohazard symbols are disposed of into regular trash containers. The other reason to care about trash disposal involves the environment. Regulated Medical Waste (red bag trash and sharps) has to be treated, and some of it is incinerated while some ends up in special biohazard landfills. Both of those are things we want less of in our environment.

As a lab safety professional, you may know of several other reasons to implement and maintain proper lab waste segregation, but in my years of safety training, money and the environment are the two that tend to hit home with staff. There are multiple waste streams generated in the lab setting, and while management in some departments may choose to offer only biohazard waste receptacles for everything, the safety savvy professional knows this is wasteful and perhaps a bit lazy. With proper education and training, laboratorians are capable of goo trash segregation that meets the regulations and meets best practice standards.

Appropriate trash segregation in the lab requires knowledge about what waste goes into what type of container, and it requires availability and proper placement of those containers. If a processing department only uses red bag trash cans, for example, then much of the non-hazardous waste will end up there. Assess the laboratory areas for proper placement of all necessary types of waste receptacles.

In one lab, it was discovered that staff was throwing out urine containers with embedded needles into red bag trash containers. Why? There simply were no sharps containers in the area. It was a simple fix to move containers nearby, but no one was paying attention, and there could have been an unnecessary needle stick exposure. In another lab staff emptied urine sample cups into the sink and tossed them into regular trash bins. From a waste standpoint, that was fine, but because there was patient information on the container labels, HIPAA violations occurred.

Many venipuncture sample tubes used today are plastic, and they cannot be broken to create sharp edges. Given that, those items could be disposed of into biohazard trash bags. That can save a lab some money by reducing the volume of sharps containers used (they are more expensive to handle). However, glass specimen tubes are still available for purchase. Be sure to check for these in your racks before throwing out all lab tubes into a plastic bag. A broken tube can cause a very unfortunate exposure event.

Place patient information and extra labels into bins for shredding if available. Teach staff that in most cases it is acceptable to place used disposable lab coats and gloves into regular trash receptacles provided they are not visibly bloody. Other items can go into the regular waste stream such as plastic transfer pipettes, gauze pads, and paper towels (again, provided there is no blood visible on them).

If items can be broken to create a sharp edge, they should be disposed of into a sharps container. That includes specimen cups made of hard plastic, sharp pipette tips, and any glass item. Agar plates and wooden applicator sticks should also go into a sharps container. Remember, if the item breaks while a trash bag is handled, an employee may become exposed, and the incident would need to be treated as an unknown source exposure, something that should always be avoided.

Make sure staff know the proper disposal of chemical waste as well. Never pour chemical waste down the drain unless your facility has a permit to do so. Place chemical waste containers in appropriate locations and label them according to EPA regulations. Provide proper training for employees who sign waste manifests when hazardous waste is hauled away from the lab. If you take the easy route and combine all of your laboratory waste, you would be responsible for both increased departmental expenses and for unnecessarily adding bio-waste to the environment. Talk regularly to your group of trained lab scientists about proper waste segregation, use signage as reminders, and assess their lab waste knowledge regularly. Proper waste management takes work. Mistakes can be made easily, and some of them can cause injury and invoke heavy fines. Invest in a robust laboratory waste management program to avoid those issues and to create a safety savvy example for others.