Quest Diagnostics Specimen Tubes – Fill Out and Use This PDF

Quest Diagnostics Specimen Tubes PDF Details

In the realm of medical diagnostics, the accuracy and reliability of blood specimen collection are paramount. The Quest Diagnostics Specimen Tubes form serves as a crucial guide for healthcare professionals in this process, detailing the specific order of draw and the additives present in each tube that are essential for various laboratory tests. It outlines the importance of using culture bottles first, followed by tubes with specific additives like Citrate in light blue stopper tubes - which must be filled to completion to maintain the integrity of the sample. The form highlights the necessity of avoiding gel tubes for toxicology or drug testing, as detailed for the red/black and red stopper tubes. Furthermore, it explains the need for a discard tube when using a winged blood collection set for venipuncture to ensure proper blood-to-additive ratios, particularly for coagulation tests. It also addresses the tubes to be used last in the collection process, such as those with citrate ACD in yellow stopper tubes. The Quest Diagnostics form serves as more than a simple checklist; it is a comprehensive tool designed to optimize specimen collection, ensuring accurate test results while maintaining patient safety. Additionally, it provides a mixing chart for technicians, instructing them on the number of inversions necessary for each type of additive to ensure samples are adequately prepared for analysis. Such meticulous details underscore the critical role this form plays in the seamless operation of clinical laboratories and the delivery of high-quality patient care.