Steps Involved in Specimen Collection for Diagnostic Testing

When you go to the doctor to address a skin concern, like an irregular colored or shaped patch of skin or a strange-looking mole, they may ask you for a skin sample.  This sample will then be transported to a medical testing facility that specializes in dermatopathology in Pittsburgh, PA.  This is where it will be tested further in order to make a proper diagnosis and determine the right course of treatment, if any.  Any time that a medical specimen is collected, it will undergo a particular process that is standardized in the medical community.  This process ensures the safety and proper handling of your samples so that it avoids contamination.  These are some of the steps that involved in specimen collection used for diagnostic testing.

Preparation of the Sample

Before you even have your sample collected by your nurse or physician, they will take the time to properly identify and label the container that your specimen is placed in.  This can be a bag or a tube, depending on the type of substance collected.  This ensures that the integrity of the sample collected is not compromised and that it will not get lost in the process.

Preparation of the Patient

Preparing the patient for collection is also important, as it ensures that the patient is providing a sterile sample for testing.  This is critical to receive a clean sample that isn't contaminated right away.  Preparation of the patient may require sanitizing the area around the collection site, sterilizing any tools or equipment needed for collection, and communicating the process to the patient.

Securing the Sample

Once the sample is collected, you will need to keep it in the proper container in which it was collected.  Do not remove the sample from its original container, because this can encourage cross-contamination.  You'll likely seal the sample in an envelope or box to be sent out to the lab facility that will perform the dermatopathology in Pittsburgh, PA.

Receiving the Sample

Once the lab facility receives the sample, they will safely open the sample in their laboratory when they are ready to test the sample.  Lab technicians are trained in the proper and safe removal of specimen collections in order to practice proper handling techniques.  This way, you can avoid any contamination of your specimen once the sample reaches its final destination and is finally tested.

These are the steps that must be followed when a specimen is collected for further medical testing.  These tests will be done in a safe and secure lab specializing in dermatopathology in Pittsburgh, PA, where experts will work to determine a diagnosis for your skin disorder in a timely fashion.  This quality service relies on the safe transport and handling of medical specimens and skin samples.  Contact us to hear about our safety procedures and lab services today.