Difference between revisions of "Clinical pathology"

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::Identifying what questions needs answering
 
::Identifying what questions needs answering
 
::Looking up relevant information in proper sources and/or asking proper expertise.
 
::Looking up relevant information in proper sources and/or asking proper expertise.
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{{Question|title=Retention time|subsection=yes}}(You may skip this question if you don't expect to ever be part of laboratory management in the US)
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You work in a pathology department in the United States, which is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Your local procedure manual states that non-forensic paraffin-embedded blocks must be retained for at least 10 years before being thrown away. In order to save archive space, it is suggested that the retention time is reduced to 5 years. You look up the issue, and find that the U.S. law states that such blocks must be retained for at least 2 years. Is it acceptable to reduce the retention time of non-forensic paraffin-embedded blocks to 5 years in this case?
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*'''Answer''': This pathology department is accredited by CAP, whose requirements commonly exceed those of the U.S. law, in this case stating at least 10 years for non-forensic paraffin-embedded blocks, and therefore it is ''not'' acceptable to reduce the retention time as suggested.
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Following are the most relevant retention times, as given by U.S. law<ref name=CLIA>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/42/493.1105|title=42 CFR § 493.1105 - Standard: Retention requirements.|website=Cornell Law School}} [68 FR 3703, Jan. 24, 2003; 68 FR 50723, Aug. 22, 2003]</ref> as well as by CAP<ref name=CAP>{{cite web|url=https://elss.cap.org/elss/ShowProperty?nodePath=/UCMCON/Contribution%20Folders/WebApplications/pdf/retention-laboratory-records-and-materials.pdf|title=CAP Policy Manual - Policy PP. Minimum Period of Retention of Laboratory Records and Materials|website=CAP.org}} Adopted August 1995. Revised September 2020</ref>:
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{|class=wikitable
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!rowspan=4| Microscopy slides
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| Histology and non-forensic autopsy || 10 years<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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| Forensic autopsy || Indefinitely<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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| Cytology, fine needle aspiration || 10 years<ref name=CAP/>
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|-
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| Cytology, apart from fine needle aspiration || 5 years<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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!rowspan=2| Paraffin-embedded blocks
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| Non-forensic || 2<ref name=CLIA/> or 10 years<ref name=CAP/>
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|-
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| Forensic || Indefinitely<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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!rowspan=2| Requisition form and test report
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| Pathology reports || 10 years<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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| Other || 2 years<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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!rowspan=3| [[Blood bank]] records
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| Quality control records || 5 years<ref name=CAP/>
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|-
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| Donor and recipient records || 10 years<ref name=CAP/>
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|-
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| Records of indefinitely deferred donors || Indefinitely<ref name=CAP/>
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|-
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!colspan=2| Wet tissues
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| Until report is completed<ref name=CLIA/> or 2 weeks thereafter<ref name=CAP/>
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|-
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!colspan=2| [[Proficiency testing]] records and quality management/quality control records
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| 2 years<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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!colspan=2| Discontinued procedures
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| 2 years<ref name=CLIA/>
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|-
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!colspan=2| [[Blood smear]]s and other body fluid smears, microbiology slides (including [[Gram stain]]s)
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| 7 days<ref name=CAP/>
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|-
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!colspan=2| [[Flow cytometry]] plots
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| 10 years<ref name=CAP/>
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|}
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{{Question-end}}
 
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Revision as of 19:36, 26 May 2022

Author: Mikael Häggström, M.D. [note 1]

Topics with own articles

Lab management

Lab management is essentially about handling each of the extremely various situations that arise, and can generally be achieved by:

Common sense
Gathering enough information before a decision
Identifying what questions needs answering
Looking up relevant information in proper sources and/or asking proper expertise.

Test question

Retention time

(You may skip this question if you don't expect to ever be part of laboratory management in the US)

You work in a pathology department in the United States, which is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Your local procedure manual states that non-forensic paraffin-embedded blocks must be retained for at least 10 years before being thrown away. In order to save archive space, it is suggested that the retention time is reduced to 5 years. You look up the issue, and find that the U.S. law states that such blocks must be retained for at least 2 years. Is it acceptable to reduce the retention time of non-forensic paraffin-embedded blocks to 5 years in this case?

  • Answer: This pathology department is accredited by CAP, whose requirements commonly exceed those of the U.S. law, in this case stating at least 10 years for non-forensic paraffin-embedded blocks, and therefore it is not acceptable to reduce the retention time as suggested.

Following are the most relevant retention times, as given by U.S. law[1] as well as by CAP[2]:

Microscopy slides Histology and non-forensic autopsy 10 years[1]
Forensic autopsy Indefinitely[1]
Cytology, fine needle aspiration 10 years[2]
Cytology, apart from fine needle aspiration 5 years[1]
Paraffin-embedded blocks Non-forensic 2[1] or 10 years[2]
Forensic Indefinitely[1]
Requisition form and test report Pathology reports 10 years[1]
Other 2 years[1]
Blood bank records Quality control records 5 years[2]
Donor and recipient records 10 years[2]
Records of indefinitely deferred donors Indefinitely[2]
Wet tissues Until report is completed[1] or 2 weeks thereafter[2]
Proficiency testing records and quality management/quality control records 2 years[1]
Discontinued procedures 2 years[1]
Blood smears and other body fluid smears, microbiology slides (including Gram stains) 7 days[2]
Flow cytometry plots 10 years[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ For a full list of contributors, see article history. Creators of images are attributed at the image description pages, seen by clicking on the images. See Patholines:Authorship for details.

Main page

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 . 42 CFR § 493.1105 - Standard: Retention requirements.. Cornell Law School. [68 FR 3703, Jan. 24, 2003; 68 FR 50723, Aug. 22, 2003]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 . CAP Policy Manual - Policy PP. Minimum Period of Retention of Laboratory Records and Materials. CAP.org. Adopted August 1995. Revised September 2020

Image sources


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