Stain quality must be checked _____, deficiencies corrected & checks recorded.

• A. Weekly
• B. Daily
• C. Monthly
• D. Yearly

Answer: (B)

Stain quality is checked every day to keep staining results reliable. Staining can be affected by small changes in reagents, their concentrations, pH, timing, temperature, and even the quality of water or slides. By doing a quick daily QC with a control slide that has a known, expected result, you can confirm that the stain is performing correctly before processing patient samples. If the control shows deviations—such astoo light, too heavy, or uneven staining—you can pinpoint and address the source, whether it’s reagents, timing, or equipment, and prevent faulty results from affecting multiple tests. Recording these checks creates a traceable log of performance and corrections, which helps monitor trends and maintain consistent quality over time. Checking less frequently would risk unnoticed drift, leading to unreliable staining across many samples.