When inspecting an internal quality-control plot for a blood gas analyzer, you notice several data points sporadically appearing outside the 2 standard deviation (SD) range. This represents what type of analytic error?
I.random error
II.bias
III.imprecision
IV.systematic error

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sporadically appearing data points outside the 2 SD range indicate imprecision or random error, as they are not consistently occurring in either direction and are not biased towards one side. Therefore, the correct choices are I and III. The presence of systematic error or bias would result in consistently shifted data points, whereas the given internal quality-control plot does not present consistent bias.

When Inspecting an Internal Quality-Control Plot for a Blood Gas