Safety & ComplianceQuestion 48 of 100
A point-of-care glucose meter's control result falls outside the acceptable range. What should be done?
a.Stop patient testing, troubleshoot and repeat the control, and document the action before reporting results
b.Report the patient results and repeat the control at the end of the shift
c.Average the failed control with the previous passing control
d.Ignore the failure if the patient result looks clinically reasonable
Explanation
An out-of-range control indicates the system cannot be trusted, so patient testing stops until the cause is corrected and an acceptable control is obtained, with all steps documented. Reporting results from an unverified instrument risks patient harm. Averaging controls or judging results by clinical appearance defeats the purpose of objective quality control.
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