What could be a consequence of failing to perform quality control in a laboratory?

Failure to perform quality control in a laboratory can lead to inaccurate test results, which can have serious implications for patient care and safety. Quality control is essential in ensuring that laboratory equipment and procedures are functioning correctly, and it helps to identify potential issues before they impact test outcomes. When quality control measures are neglected, there is an increased risk of procedural errors, equipment malfunction, or reagent degradation, all of which can compromise the integrity of test results.

Inaccurate results can mislead clinicians in their decision-making processes, potentially leading to misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment plans. This underscores the critical importance of implementing robust quality control protocols to maintain the reliability and accuracy of laboratory testing, as patient treatment decisions rely heavily on the trustworthiness of these results. The other options, such as improved efficiency, faster turnaround times, and better patient management, do not accurately reflect the potential fallout from neglecting quality control measures. Instead, these factors may indeed suffer or be negatively impacted due to inaccuracies in testing outcomes.