Collecting a Throat Swab for a Culture

Collecting a Throat Swab for a Culture 

Collecting the exudates from throat or tonsil for laboratory test alba als bizon

Procedure

• Verify the doctor's order.
• To the patient: Describe the procedure.
• Put on gloves and wash your hands.
• Tell the patient to open his mouth and use a tongue depressor to keep his tongue in place.
• Rub the cotton applicator or swab gently but firmly over the tonsils and back of the throat, as well as any exudate-prone regions.
• Place the swab or applicator into the test tube or sterile packet, then label it.
• Send the lab the sample together with a properly completed request form oitos.

Stool Collection, Labeling, and Dispatching for Routine and Culture Test.

Collection of stool specimen for routine and culture testing to find out disorders of gastrointestinal tract. 001 m

Normal Characteristics of Feces

Color: light to dark brown.

Odor: pungent smell

Frequency: 1-2 times per day

Quantity: varies from 4 to 6 ounces per day

Composition: 30% water, shed epithelium from the intestine, a considerable quantity of bacteria and a small quantity of nitrogenous matter

Rice Water Stools: cholera

Watery Stools: diarrhoea

Pea Soup Stools: typical of typhoid fever

Fresh Blood in Large Amounts: bleeding piles

Blood and Mucous Stool: amoebic or bacillary dysentery

General Instructions

• Fecal specimens are collected for chemical bacteriological or parasitological analysis.
• Fecal specimen should be collected in the early stages of disease preferably before antibiotic treatment is given.
• Stool specimens for culture should be collected in sterile container with a tight-fitting leak proof lid. Inform if bleeding hemorrhoids or hematuria present.
• Stool specimen for culture can be obtained directly from the rectum using a sterile swab.

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• Appropriate specimen container,
• Spatula,
• Bad pan or portable commode,
• Waste paper,
• Gloves.

Method of Collecting Stool Specimen

• Verify the doctor's prescription.
• To the patient: Describe the procedure.
• Ensure privacy.
• Tell the patient to urinate into a toilet or clean, dry bedpan.
• Tell them not to urinate on the sample.
• For a standard stool test, give a stick and a clean, dry container.
• For routine stool tests, collect feces samples using a clean spatula into a culture container.
• Closely cover the container.
• Put the spatula in trash paper and dispose of it properly.
• Name, age, sex, bed number, ward, hospital number, and date should all be written on the specimen container.
• Send the sample right away to the lab.
• After cleaning, replace the apparatus.

Urine Collection, Labeling and Dispatching for Routine and Culture Test

Urine is a fluid secreted by the kidney. The characteristics of urine. The state of health of the person affects the characteristics of urine.

Characteristics of Normal Urine

Volume: Amount varies from 1000 to 2000/25000 ml. in 24 hours.

Gravity: Specific gravity ranging from 1.015 to 1.025.

Reaction: Slightly acidic.

Composition: Approximately 95% water and 4% solid, which consists of urea and other inorganic substances like sodium, choloride, potassium, etc.

Colour: Light yellow.

Odour: Aromatic odour.

General Instruction

• A wide-mouthed container should be used to collect urine.
• The external genital region has to be cleaned.
• In a container, note the patient's information.
• Whenever feasible, it is best to gather specimens in the morning.
• To check for urinary tract infections, a clean-catch midstream urine sample is taken.
• The request form should contain information on specimens taken from menstrual and postpartum patients.
• Always cover the specimen to stop carbon dioxide from the air from dripping into the urine and causing it to become alkaline, which encourages bacterial development.

Collecting Urine Specimen for Routine Examination

Urine is collected for urinalysis routine in a random specimen, freshly voided by the patient.

Equipment

• Clean and dry container/vial with lid.
• Bedpan/urinal.
•  Labeling paper.
• Soap and water.
• Gloves.
• Laboratory requisition form.

Purpose

To detect and measure the presence of abnormalities in urine such as red blood cells, white blood cells, PH, sugar, albumin and specific gravity.

Procedure

• Check the physician's order.
• Explain procedure to the patient with specific instruction about washing the genital area with soap and water and give the labeled container. Instruct the patient not to wet the label on the outside.
• Ask the patient to direct the first and last part of the urine stream into a urinal or toilet and to collect the middle part of the urine stream into the specimen container.
• In case of a bed ridden patient, let the patient pass urine in a clean bedpan/urinal and then pour in the specimen bottle. samu silos of lenne to you youbi
• Instruct to collect 3/4 th of container.
• Wear gloves while handling urine.
• Label the sample properly and send it to the laboratory along with the laboratory request form.

Urine Collecting from Catheter

• Before taking a sample, clamp the tube for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Wash your hands completely.
• Tap the bladder drainage tube off.
• Until the surgery is finished, cover the distal end of the drainage tube with sterile gauze or a cap.
• Use antiseptic to clean the urinary catheter's tip.
• Release the clamp, then fill the container with the pee. Take 30 to 50 ml at the halfway point of urination. Discard the gauze in a kidney basin after removing it.
• Reattach the tube.
• Label the container and submit it right away, together with the lab request form, to the lab.
• Date, time, and details of the specimen's collection are recorded.

Collection of Midstream Urine Specimen for Culture 

Midstream urine for culture and sensitivity test should be free from contamination. For each test usually midstream urine is taken or in some cases cathetarization may be carried out to collect uncontaminated urine.

•  Equipment.
• Sterile culture bottle.
• Lab request slip.
• Sterile kidney tray.
• Gloves.

Purposes

• To culture pathogenic microorganisms present in the urine.
• To determine antibiotic sensitivity of the pathogens in the urine.

Procedure

• Check the physician's order and explain procedures.
• Instruct the patient to clean the genital parts.
• Ask the patient to void and allow the first urine to pass out and then take sample of mid- stream urine in a container. 
• Cover the bottle immediately.
• Send the specimen to the laboratory within 15 minutes after labeling along with the laboratory request form.
• Record in the nurse's notes the time of urine collection.

Collection of a 24-hour Urine Specimen

Collection of urine specimen for a period of 24 hours without any spillage or wastage

Purpose

• To detect kidney, liver and cardiac condition. 
• To find out the amount of different constituents the kidney execrating in a day. 

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• Clean container with preservative of not less than 3 liters capacity with label.
• Kidney tray or urinal to collect urine at each voiding.
• Appropriate laboratory form, dully filled.

Procedure

• Check the physician's order.
• Explain to the patient, the purpose of procedure and that all urine for the full 24 hours must be saved.
• Instruct the patient to void at the time set to begin the procedure e.g. at 6.00 am. Discard this specimen.
• Record in nurse's notes the time when collection began.
• Instruct the patient to save the urine output for 24 hours.
• Collect the final specimen at exactly the same time the patient voided 24 hours earlier 6.00 am the following day.
• Send the container with urine to laboratory when the collection is over, with requisition forms. 
• Record in the nurses notes time of completing the collection and dispatching the urine to the lab.

Testing Urine for Glucose

Benedict's Test

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• Sprit lamp,
•  Match box,
• Test tube with holder,
• Test tube stand,
• Benedict's solution,
• Dropper,
• Duster,
• Kidney tray,
• Clean, disposable gloves.

Procedure

• Explain the procedure to the patient.
• Provide a labeled container for collecting urine.
• Don gloves and collect the urine specimen from the patient.
• Take a test tube and fix in a holder. Pour 5ml of Benedict's solution into the test tube.
• Light a sprit lamp and heat the Benedict's solution till it boils, holding the test tube with mouth facing away from the nurse.
• Add eight drops of urine using dropper, through the sides and allow boiling for another few seconds.
• Allow it to cool and compare the color of the solution with the standard colour code and record as follows:
  • Blue:  Absence of sugar
  • Green: + / 1% sugar.
  • Yellow: ++/2% sugar.
  • Orange: +++/3% sugar
  • Brick red: ++++/5% or above.
• Discard the urine in a toilet and rinse the container.
• Replace the equipment after washing in a proper place.
• Discard the gloves and wash hands.
• Record accurately.

Testing Urine for Glucose (reagent strip or tape)

• Give out a labeled container for urine collection. Put on gloves and take a patient's urine sample.
• Pour urine over the strip's reagent-containing area.
• Contrast the strip's hue with the palette shown on the reagent strip container.
• Throw away the used strip and used items.
• Wash your hands before replacing the reusable goods.
• Note the test's outcome on the patient's record.

Testing Urine for Presence of Albumin Using Hot Test Method, or Acetic Acid Tests 

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• Sprit lamp,
• Match box,
• Test tube and holder,
• Test tube stand,
• Two percent acetic acid,
• Dropper,
• Specimen container,
• Duster,
• Kidney tray,
• Litmus paper,
• Disposable gloves.

Procedure

• Check the physician's order and identify the patient.
• Explain the procedure to the patient including the reason for collecting specimen, and how the patient can collect an uncontaminated specimen.
• Wash hands and don gloves.
• Fill 3/4 th of a test tube with urine, secure a test tube holder at its top end.
• Check the reaction of urine, if found alkaline, add 2-3 drop of acetic acid and make it acidic. If the urine is highly alkaline or acidic, it will give false reading.
• Heat the upper third of urine over the sprit lamp and allow it to boil. Keep the mouth of the test tube away from your face.
• A cloud may appear either due to phosphate or albumen. Add 2-3 drops of acetic acid into the test tube. If the urine still remains cloudy, it indicates the presence of albumin.

Clear: nil

Trace: +/+1

Cloudy: ++/+2

Thick Cloudy: +++/+3

• If it becomes clear, it indicates the presence of phosphates.

Heller's Test or Unboiled Method of Testing for Albumen in Urine

Procedure

• Pour a small quantity of nitric acid or salpho-salic acid 3 percent in to a clean test tube.
• Add an equal quantity of urine to it and mix. 
• If albumin is present, a white precipitate will be seen where two fluids meet.

Dipsticks Method

• Collect urine mid-stream to clean specimen bottle.
• Pull a dipstick from the bottle with gloved hand.
• Dip the stick into the urine specimen until all the coloured tabs wet or wait for sufficient time according to direction of the bottle for the colors on the stick to change. 
• Compare the colors on the stick to the color chart on the bottle indicates how to interpret the colors on the stick.
• Discard urine in appropriate place.
• Replace dipstick in proper place.
• Remove gloves.
• Wash hand. 
• Record the finding.

Testing Urine for PH

Testing urine for PH by dipping litmus paper into it and noting resultant color changes. The normal PH of urine is 4-8.

Purpose

• To determine acid-base balance

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Urine specimen, litmus strip, clean gloves, kidney tray

Procedure

• Explain the procedure to the patient and provide a specimen container.
• Don gloves and obtain specimen from the patient.
• Dip litmus strip in the urine and keep for one minute and note color change.
• If blue litmus turns red, urine is acidic.
• If red litmus turns blue, urine is alkaline.
• Discard the strip into a container for infected waste.
• Record the procedure in nurse's notes including the result noted.

Testing Urine for Specific Gravity

Measuring specific gravity of urine using a calibrated dydrometer / urinometer

Purposes

• To determine the level of concentration of urine.
• To diagnose condition like diabetes insipitus.

Articles

• Container to collect urine, urinometer, jar for urine, gloves

Procedure

• Give the patient a brief explanation of the process and a urine collection container.
• Put gloves on.
• Urine should fill about three-fourths of the container.
• Put the urinometer carefully into the container.
• Make sure the object floats freely and doesn't touch the jar's edges or bottom.
• Read the specific gravity straight from the scale inscribed on the calibrated stem of the urinometer once it has stopped bobbing.
• To get an accurate reading at eye level, read the scale at the lowest position of the meniscus. Urine typically has a specific gravity of 1.010 to 1.025.
• Throw out the urine, then pour running water over the jar and urinometer.
• Taking off the gloves, wash your hands. In accordance with policy, replace the items and document the procedure in the nurse's record or flow sheet.