Best Practices When Administering A Urine Drug Screen

5 Things To Be Aware of When Administering a Urine Drug Test

Urine drug testing and tests are widely used- from making sure employees are conducting themselves in a safe manner to screening for PEDS in sports, and for drug detection or screening in the drug addiction industry. With their widespread usage many people may find themselves conducting drug tests at home or in the workplace and may not have the necessary experience to properly administer and interpret the results. Using a CLIA waved 12 panel drug screen is relatively straightforward and easy enough but we've compiled a list of commonly overlooked items that will help you:

#1:Diluted Samples

Often the individuals being drug tested are aware of the testing and will take active steps to avoid detection. The most common method of avoiding a drug screening is to consume large volumes of water before a test is administered. While this can often have an impact on samples, it is necessary to use a drug testing lab service that can accurately interpret results and can account for dilution, rather than at home or drug store tests which simply will return a false negative in this scenario. It is possible to have a baseline of an individual's water levels in a urine sample and therefore know when they have taken steps to actively distort a urine drug screen. A good indication that a sample is overly diluted is urine that is too clear or very similar to water with no coloration or cloudiness.

#2:Masking Agents or Chemicals

It is usually considered best practice when administering a urine drug test to observe the individual producing the sample. There are a wide variety of masking agents people can introduce into a sample to invalidate the test such as bleach, laundry detergent, Visine, and other chemicals not ordinarily found in urine drug screens. Observing the person producing a sample doesn't allow them to contaminate or manipulate the urine sample by adding maskers, cleaners, or other chemicals that will certainly interfere with a drug screen. Again simple OTC drug tests will not indicate that contaminants have been introduced to the sample, but a qualified urinalysis cup or urinalysis lab can detect adulterants.

#3: Synthetic Urine or the Substitution Method

Again observation is key as there are a number of products directly marketed to consumers to help them avoid detection on a drug screen. Clean urine is widely available for purchase online and is most often synthesized in a lab specifically to help pass a drug test. The fake urine even comes complete with anatomically correct delivery systems which will pass casual scrutiny. You or your organization should have someone experienced with common drug testing avoidance methods carefully administer each test to prevent this method of cheating on a drug test. It recommended that you have a gender appropriate person to supervise tests of woman and men respectively.

#4:Best Collection Results Are Mid-Sample

For best results it is recommended to obtain the sample from a client mid urine stream, as the best sample of drug metabolites are represented here. Very often to avoid detection, individuals will only provide a sample close to the end of their urine stream. This can become problematic because the end of a drug stream is often considered to have less drug metabolites and is more diluted. We usually recommend to start urinating into the toilet or urinal, collect a sample, and then to finish urinating after a sufficient sample has been collected.

#5: Failure to Produce

Avoidance is a common method people employ to avoid taking a urine drug test. The best way to deal with this is to provide individuals with 10-12 fluid ounces of water for an hour while under supervision. Some people do have what is commonly referred to as a shy bladder, and while willing to produce a sample can require additional care before producing a urine sample. Failure to produce can be dealt with relatively easy and should not be considered refusal to test within a certain time frame and reasonable allowances. These are 5 common things to be aware of when administering a urine drug test, and above all the quality of the drug testing cup being used is most important. Using a cheaper Over the counter cup is unpredictable and unreliable. The best way to ensure accurate and definitive results is to use a CLIA waived and FDA approved drug testing cup. We are happy to answer any other questions you may have about urine drug testing methodology or equipment.