Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist (CPFT) Practice Exam

What does proficiency testing involve?

1. Using a standard calibration curve

2. Analyzing known patient samples

3. Sending unknown control specimens to multiple labs

4. Performing internal quality assessments

The correct answer is: Sending unknown control specimens to multiple labs

Proficiency testing is a structured process that evaluates the performance of a laboratory through the analysis of unknown control specimens that are sent to various labs. This process helps to ensure that testing methods and results are reliable and consistent between different laboratories. By using these unknown samples, laboratories can compare their analysis against the known values, facilitating an assessment of their accuracy and precision. This external evaluation is crucial in maintaining standardization and enhancing patient safety by verifying that laboratories produce valid and reproducible test results. In contrast, the other options focus on different aspects of quality control and laboratory practices but do not specifically represent proficiency testing. Calibration curves relate to initial equipment setup, known patient samples are used for routine testing rather than proficiency evaluation, and internal quality assessments monitor ongoing lab performance but do not involve external benchmarking like proficiency testing does.