Specimen Collection
Specimen Collection
Urine Specimens:
Midstream Urine Specimen
- Supplies: Sterile mid-stream urine collection kit
- Procedure:
- Wash and dry the hands
- Open the specimen container, being careful not to touch inside the container or the lid
- Open the towelette package
- Females: sit on the toilet with the labia held apart; swab with a wet swab from above downwards
- Males: sit to help control splashing; (if uncircumcised, retract foreskin) clean around meatus and glans using a circular motion starting at the head of the penis and going down the shaft of the penis
- Discard towelette
- Commence voiding into the toilet (females need to continue keeping the labia apart)
- After small amount of urine is passed, place the specimen container under the stream of urine.
- Half fill the container with urine (30-60 ml) and complete emptying the bladder into the toilet.
- Place lid on mid-stream container without touching the inside of the lid.
- Dry outside of container if necessary with paper.
- Wash hands.
- Follow agency policy for getting urine specimen to the laboratory for testing
Foley Catheter Specimen:
- Check to see if enough urine is in the catheter tubing (10 ml). If not, clamp the tubing for 10-15 minutes.
- Supplies: nonsterile gloves, 10-15 ml syringe with 1" needle, alcohol or povidone iodine wipe, sterile specimen container
- Cleanse specimen port with alcohol or povidone iodine depending on agency policy
- Insert sterile needle into port and withdraw 10 ml of urine
- Put urine into sterile specimen container, label and package container according to agency policy
- Discard used syringe and needle into sharps containe
Capillary Blood Glucose:
Implications of test results: Normal range is 70-110 mg/dl (Different hospitals have different normal ranges)
Low results: Hypoglycemia (The most dangerous since the brain needs sugar to function)
Signs and Symptoms: headache dizziness, drowsiness, diaphoresis, tachycardia, tremor, seizures
High results: Hyperglycemia
Signs and Symptoms: thirst, malaise, polyuria, N/V, flushed skin, dry mouth
Stool Specimens:
Contains a small scoop
Occult Blood
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- Apply thin samples in each of the boxes on the hemoccult slide, getting the samples from different parts of the stool specimen.
- Close cover and return slide to laboratory
- What you will need:
- Paper towel
- Wooden applicator
- Cardboard Hemoccult slide (See above)
- Hemoccult developing solution
Ova and Parasites
Place stool sample in a stool specimen container and send to the laboratory
Respiratory Specimens:
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Sputum Specimen
- Need a sputum specimen, not saliva - the specimen must be coughed up
- Have patient take several deep breaths, then cough
- Have patient expectorate sample into the sputum specimen container without touching the container
- If patient is unable to cough up a sample, use a suction catheter and inline "mucus trap"; suction the sputum into the specimen container
Throat Culture
- Using a culturette, have the patient tip their head back and say "ah"
- Depress anterior portion of tongue with tongue blade
- Swab tonsillar area without touching culturette on any other part of the mouth or mucous membranes
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