In the simplified quality scheme, QA is applied to how many analytic areas?

• A. One
• B. Two
• C. Three
• D. All three analytics

Answer: (D)

Quality assurance should cover every part of the testing process, not just a single step. The three analytic areas encompass the entire workflow: pre-analytic activities (like how the specimen is collected and handled), the analytic phase (the actual measurement on the instrument), and the post-analytic phase (reporting and interpreting the results). Applying QA across all three areas ensures that errors can be detected and controlled no matter where they occur, from sample quality to how results are reported. If QA focuses on only one or two areas, problems in the other stages could slip through and affect accuracy and reliability. Therefore, QA is applied to all three analytics.