Proper selection, collection, and delivery of clinical specimens

Collection of clinical specimens

 

when amassing scientific specimens for microbiology, these widespread precautions must be taken:

 The specimen ought to be nicely decided on. That is, it must be the precise sort of specimen for the analysis of the suspected infectious ailment.

 The specimen needs to be well and thoroughly accrued. On every occasion viable, specimens must be accrued in a manner with the intention to get rid of or decrease contamination of the specimen with indigenous microflora.

 The cloth should be accrued from a website where the suspected pathogen is most in all likelihood to be located and where the least contamination is in all likelihood to occur.

 Whenever feasible, specimens must be obtained earlier than antimicrobial remedy has begun. If this isn't feasible, the laboratory should be informed as to which antimicrobial agent(s) the patient is receiving.

 The acute degree of the disorder (whilst the affected person is experiencing the signs and symptoms of the ailment) is the maximum suitable time to collect maximum specimens. A few viruses, however, are extra easily isolated for the duration of the prodromal or onset level of the disease.

 Specimen collection has to be achieved with care and tact to keep away from harming the affected person, inflicting discomfort, or inflicting undue embarrassment. If the affected person is to gather the specimen, together with sputum or urine, the affected person needs to accept clear and specific collection commands.

 Enough amount of the specimen has to be acquired to offer enough material for all required diagnostic tests. The amount of specimen to acquire have to be specific inside the lab p&p guide.

 All specimens ought to be positioned or accrued right into a sterile box to save you infection of the specimen by using indigenous microflora and airborne microbes. Appropriate sorts of collection devices and specimen boxes ought to be unique within the lab p&p manual.

 Specimens should be protected from heat and cold and promptly brought to the laboratory so that the consequences of the analyses will validly constitute the range and types of organism’s gift at the time of collection. If transport to the laboratory is behind schedule, a few sensitive pathogens would possibly die; therefore, certain styles of specimens have to be rushed to the laboratory right away after collection. Certain specimens must be positioned at the ice for the duration of shipping to the laboratory, while different specimens ought to in no way be refrigerated or positioned on ice because of the delicate and touchy nature of the pathogens. Obligate anaerobes die when uncovered to air. Any indigenous microflora in the specimen can also overgrow, inhibit, or kill pathogens. Specimen delivery commands ought to be contained within the lab p&p manual.

 Hazardous specimens should be treated with even more care to keep away from contamination of the courier, patients, and healthcare professionals. Such specimens must be positioned in a sealed plastic bag for instant and careful delivery to the laboratory.

 On every occasion, feasible, sterile, disposable specimen bins ought to be used. If reusable boxes are used, they should be cleaned, sterilized, and nicely saved to keep away from contamination of the specimen by microbes and doubtlessly harmful chemical compounds.

 The specimen container needs to be properly classified and observed by using an appropriate request slip containing adequate commands. At least, labels must contain the patient's name, medical institution identity range, and room number; the requesting doctor's call; the way of life site; and the date and time of collection. As a minimum, request slips ought to contain the affected person's call, age, sex, and clinic identity number; the name of the asking for the doctor; particular facts approximately the kind of specimen and the web site from which it turned into accumulated; the date and time of collection; the initials of the person that accrued the specimen; and records about any antimicrobial retailers that the patient is receiving. The laboratory must usually take delivery of enough scientific records to resource in performing suitable analyses. As an example, the request slip that accompanies a wound specimen should not simply country “wound”; instead, it ought to nation the precise type of wound (e. G., burn wound, canine bite wound, postsurgical wound infection).

 specimens ought to be amassed and added to the laboratory as early inside the day as viable to give the technologists enough time to method the material, especially when the sanatorium or health facility does not have a 24-hour laboratory service.