HOW TO HANDLING ROUTINE SPECIMENS

-



Handling of Routine Specimens



·         Protective gears are the material worn to protect an individual from infection, and are specialized clothing or equipment worn by health service provider for protection against health and safety hazards. Protective gears are designed to protect many parts of the body such as
o   Hands
o   Eyes
o   Feet
o   Nose and mouth

·         Examples of potential eye, mouth and nose contamination
o   Splashes and aerosols from contaminated materials
o   Harmful rays from the use of lasers or other radiant light (as well as heat, glare, sparks, splash and flying particles).

 Types and Importance of Protective Gears 
·         Protective gears includes
o   Gloves
§  Are worn on the hands and protects hands contamination
  • Laboratory Coat
§  Protects health providers clothes from being contaminated)
  • Masks
§  Protects nose and mouth from fumes, aerosols and
  • Gumboots
§  Protects feet contaminations
  • Eye Glasses
§  Protects eyes contaminations

·         Importance of Protective Gears
o   Protects health provider from contamination
o   Presents transferring of infections from work place to another area
o   It can also reduce the overall costs of health care by preventing injury and illness in the workplace

    Handling of Routine Specimens 
·         Once a specimen is collected properly, it must be handled correctly otherwise results may be compromised.
o   Stool Specimen
§  Never leave stool specimen exposed to the air in container without lid
§  Never accept stool specimen mixed with urine (e.g. in a bed pan
§  Never examine stool specimen without first putting on gloves
§  Always examine stool specimen within 1-4 hours after collection. If several specimens are received at the same time ,examine the liquid stools and those containing mucous or blood first, as they contain motile amoebae(which dies quickly


  • Urine Specimen
§  A urine specimen for routine urinalysis requires 15 ml of urine.
§  Container for Collection of urine should be wide mouthed clean, and dry with a screw-capped lid
§  If urine has been collected for presence of Schistosoma haematobium ova but it may not be examined for several hours should be acidified  with a few drops of 10% acetic acid
o   Sputum Specimen
§  Sputum sample is collected in a plastic, wide mouthed, leak proof container with lid, or waxed carton.
§  Do not collect sputum in glass bottles (except when sending for culture of mycobacterium tuberculosis) as glass bottles are difficult to treat.
§  Avoid contaminating the outside of the container with sputum
§  If the outside is contaminated discard the container and repeat with fresh container
o   Blood of Specimen
§  Use appropriate collection containers for specific testing needs
§  Store specimens upright, in racks at the appropriate temperature
§  Note the time of taking the specimens to ensure processing in the correct timeframe
§  Results of laboratory investigations are only as good as the sample received by the laboratory
o   Pus specimen
§  Pus is collected in order to examine micro organisms causing infection
§  Must be collected by using sterile swab
§  Do not make a smear for transporting when the specimen is from a patient with suspect of anthrax or bubonic plague

Significance of Proper Handling of Routine Specimen 
·         Reduces contamination
·         Helps tracking down the specimens and results
·         Helps to get quality results
·         Avoids mixing specimen and request form
Avoid leakages

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW TO USE CONDOM

-
Image
HOW TO YOU USE CONDOM Two Methods: Using a Male Condom Using a Female Condom Community Q&A When things get up close and personal, the rule is always "better safe than sorry." When it comes to sexual behaviors, condoms are a must-have accessory—and when used correctly, they are your best defense against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including HIV. They are also highly effective at their original role as a contraceptive device. There are two basic types: male condoms and female condoms. Method 1 Using a Male Condom 1 Store condoms safely.  Condoms can become brittle and more likely to break if you don’t store them correctly. Condoms that are exposed to heat or light are more likely to tear. [1] Don’t keep condoms in your back pocket, wallet, or glovebox. If you think you may get lucky, put a couple in your wallet or car right before you hit the town. Don’t leave them there for days or weeks. Store condoms in a cool, dry plac...
Read more

ASCITES

-
Image
Ascites Definition Ascites is the enormous accumulation of fluid (pale yellow and clear fluid) in the abdominal peritoneal cavity. Fluid fills between the abdomen and the organs. This cavity is the lining between the abdominal wall and the stomach. This cavity is located below the chest cavity and it is separated by the diaphragm, the ascitic fluid is produced due to variety of disease such as cancer, liver disease, kidney failure and heart failure. Ascites History Ascites were recognised in ancient times. In 20 B.C Celsus first described the technique of paracentesis for aspirating the fluid from the peritoneal cavity by using a bronze tube with flanged collar to drain fluid. In 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven gave large volume paracenteses to one of the famous patients. whose physician wrote about his deathbed with the following description: “‘The tremendous volume of the water accumulated called for immediate relief; and I found myself compelled to advocate the abdo...
Read more

TOP 10 LABORATORY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

-
Image
Top 10 laboratory interview questions with answers                                                                                     1. Top 10 laboratory interview questions with answers In this file, you can ref interview materials for laboratory such as, laboratory situational interview, laboratory behavioral interview, laboratory phone interview, laboratory interview thank you letter, laboratory interview tips … Other useful materials for laboratory interview: • topinterviewquestions.info/free-ebook-80-interview-questions-and-answers • topinterviewquestions.info/free-ebook-18-secrets-to-win-every-job-interviews • topinterviewquestions.info/13-types-of-interview-questions-and-how-to-face- them • topinterviewquestions.info/top-8-interview-thank-you-letter-sampl...
Read more