what are the principles of good practice in scientific and clinical settings?
- using standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- effectively managing calibration and maintenance of equipment and work areas
- effectively managing stock
- appropriately storing products, materials and equipment
what do following the principles of good practice help us achieve?
- consistency
- predictability
- reproducibility
- reliability
- health and safety
what is a SOP?
a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of steps or instructions in a sequence designed to standardise the approach to a process or action
give examples of a SOP.
- calibrating a set of weighing scales
- procedures for administering medication
- process of sanitising exam rooms
why is it important for everyone to follow SOPs?
they are based on evidence so they are proven to be reliable
they help to:
- maintain health and safety
- consistency
- meet legal or organisational requirements
- upholding professional standards
- demonstrate compliance for an audit
how do you access a SOP for a given activity?
- completing detailed inductions and training on the SOPs required
- carrying out detailed searches for given SOP (e.g. intranet or manual)
what must you ensure when you find an appropriate SOP for a given activity?
- it is the most up-to-date version (check proposed review and published dates)
- all relevant documentation has been completed, dated and signed
what are the potential impacts of not regularly cleaning and preparing work areas for use?
- risks to health and safety (spread of infection or production of dangerous by-products)
- invalid results (contamination e.g. samples)
- inefficient working practices (increased costs & timescales)
- damage to equipment (increased costs & timescales)
what are the potential impacts of not maintaining, cleaning and servicing equipment?
- risks to health and safety (injury and infection)
- invalid results (contamination e.g. samples)
- reduced function of equipment (decreased lifespan and increased costs & timescales)
why is it important to calibrate and test equipment to ensure it’s fit for use?
to ensure:
- measurement are accurate (avoid invalidity)
- prolonging and maintaining equipment lifespan (faults prevented or fixed)
- legal requirements met (ensures validity and precision)
what is calibration?
checking equipment is operating correctly against a reference standard and making adjustments if not
what is accuracy?
measurement that are close to true value
what is precision?
measurements that are close to each other, even if inaccurate
what is a reference standard?
something of known size, mass and concentration (used for calibrating)
how do you escalate concerns if equipment is not correctly calibrated/ unsuitable for intended use?
- taking equipment out of action
- labelling equipment as “out of use”
- reporting concerns to relevant person (following organisational policies and procedures
- recording concerns according to organisational procedures (awareness of issues)
why is it important to order and manage stocks?
it will ensure:
- sufficient supply of required consumables and materials
- usage of materials before expiry date (organising and checking stock)
- reduced costs from ordering excess (avoid wastage)
- efficiency and productivity (stock available when needed)
- the safety of stock (avoiding damaged materials)
what is a consumable?
items that are used and disposed of e.g. latex gloves
what are materials?
items such as ingredients or components used in manufacturing a product e.g. polymers (plastic/ rubber) used for syringes or latex gloves)
what is a stock control system?
a system used to monitor stock levels of materials and consumables and it ensures timely reordering
what are the potential consequences of incorrectly storing products, materials and equipment?
- products exceeding expiry dates
- health and safety risks (infection or releasing dangerous chemicals)
- difficulty locating stock (wastes time and unnecessary restocking)
- financial loss (if stock not usable, have to replace)
- loss off products if not kept at correct temperature
what is meant by manufacture’s instructions?
original containers for stock will list storage requirements and expiry dates
