KMLTTB flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

KMLTTB mandate

The Kenyan statutory board that registers medical laboratory technicians and technologists, issues practising licences, sets standards of practice, and investigates professional misconduct complaints.

Practising licence

An annual authorisation to practise, renewable on evidence of continuing professional development and payment of the prescribed fee; practising without it is an offence.

Scope of practice

The defined set of tests and responsibilities a registered cadre may perform independently or under supervision, determined by qualification level and national regulation.

Notifiable disease reporting

A statutory duty to report specified diagnoses to public health authorities within set timeframes, overriding ordinary confidentiality for the protection of the community.

Record retention period

The minimum time clinical laboratory records must be kept, set by national regulation and accreditation requirements, commonly five years and longer for transfusion records.

Informed consent in testing

A voluntary, informed agreement obtained before HIV, genetic, or research testing, documenting the purpose, implications, and the patient's right to decline.

Patient confidentiality

The duty to keep results private and disclose them only to the patient, authorised clinicians, or where law requires, using the minimum necessary information.

Conflict of interest

A financial or personal interest that could bias professional judgement, requiring disclosure and recusal from related procurement or evaluation decisions.

Duty to disclose error

The obligation to inform the responsible clinician promptly when an analytical or reporting error may affect care, and to document the incident honestly.

Research ethics approval

Prior review and approval by an ethics committee before using human samples or data in research, including documented consent or an approved waiver.

Levey-Jennings chart

A control chart plotting quality control values over time against the mean and standard deviation lines, used to detect shifts, trends, and outliers.

Westgard 1-3s rule

A warning rule triggered when one control value exceeds the mean by three standard deviations; it prompts inspection but does not by itself reject the run.

Westgard 2-2s rule

A rejection rule applied when two consecutive control values exceed the same two-standard-deviation limit, suggesting systematic error requiring investigation.

Sigma metric

A quality measure calculated as total allowable error minus absolute bias, divided by coefficient of variation; higher values indicate a more capable process.

External quality assessment

Periodic testing of unknown samples distributed by an external provider, with results compared against peer laboratories to reveal bias and systematic error.

Root cause analysis

A structured investigation, such as the 5-Why or fishbone technique, identifying the underlying process failure behind a nonconformity rather than its immediate symptom.

Method verification

Documented confirmation that a method performs according to the manufacturer's claims under local conditions before it is used for patient testing.

Limit of detection

The lowest analyte concentration reliably distinguished from zero, typically estimated from replicate measurements of a blank or low-level sample.

Analytical measuring range

The interval between the lower and upper concentrations over which the method produces results proportional to true concentration within defined acceptance criteria.

Method comparison study

Analysis of at least twenty patient samples spanning the measuring range by both test and comparative methods, with regression and bias assessment.

Equipment qualification stages

The documented sequence of design, installation, operational, and performance qualification confirming equipment is fit for its intended clinical purpose.

Carryover study

Alternating high-concentration and low-concentration samples to measure contamination between consecutive tests, which must fall below a defined acceptance limit.

Competency assessment

Documented evaluation of a practitioner's knowledge and skill using multiple methods such as observation, blinded rechecking, and case review.

Continuing professional development

Structured learning activities, including accredited courses, conferences, and journal clubs, that maintain competence and are documented for licence renewal.

Induction training

Supervised orientation for new staff covering laboratory policies, safety, and local procedures, with sign-off before independent work is authorised.

Training effectiveness review

Post-training evaluation confirming the learner can perform the task to standard, supported by assessment results and monitoring of related quality indicators.

Refresher training trigger

A defined event requiring retraining, such as a method change, extended absence from the bench, or an incident linked to a competence gap.

BSL-2 requirements

The containment level for routine clinical diagnostic work with human specimens, requiring restricted access, biosafety cabinets for aerosols, and standard precautions.

Specimen rejection criteria

Documented grounds for refusing a sample, including mislabelling, insufficient volume, wrong container, gross haemolysis, or transport beyond stability limits.

Chain of custody

A documented, unbroken record of every transfer of a forensic or medico-legal specimen, capturing handler, date, time, and condition at each step.

Critical value reporting

Phoning a result in the defined panic range to the responsible clinician within a stated time, recording the read-back, recipient, and time.

Delta check

Comparison of a current result with the patient's previous value; a change beyond the defined threshold prompts specimen re-check before result release.