If you have ever done a real drug screening test, you know the procedure. You should know some additional facts about this test and some of them are quite interesting.
1. Two main types of tests
Not all tests are created equally. There are differences in the techniques of getting results and the procedure is sometimes more complex. First main type is immunoassay, which provides fast results and it costs less than other types of procedure. These are the reasons of its popularity among many doctors. Many clinics use this kind of test during onsite drug and alcohol testing. The results come very fast and you can find out is there any traces of unwanted substances in the suspect’s body. On the other hand, doctors use GC/MS test for more accurate results. This test is more expensive, but the procedure is usually trustworthy. Both tests are popular among specialists and they use them as part of standard procedures.
2. A very close technician
When you take the test, do not be surprised with one thing. The technician will follow the test taker through the entire process. They will show you them the way to the toilet and wait until they have finish with urine collecting. Each test taker will get a small container to collect a small amount of urine. Only the toilet door will separate them from the technician. Of course this is done to keep people from try to cheat, especially when they are aware of the possibly of illegal substances in their body. They replace their urine with someone’s “clean” urine with intention to get good results. That is why the technician makes sure there is no “funny business”.
3. Processing the sample
The next step is the most important about onsite drug and alcohol testing. Urine samples are passing through special procedure of selecting particles. Test is actually revealing antibodies that the body creates in order to respond to drug or alcohol presence. It means that your body reacts to different drugs when you consume them. When these antibodies are present, it is a sign that the patient has taken some kind of substances. This is the way to reveal alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, narcotics or any other type of drug. The test is showing a huge range of possibilities and most drugs can be discovered.
4. Wait for a while
When it comes to waiting time, the situation depends on few factors. If a immunoassay test is done, the results are produced very fast. You know if the result is positive or negative in a matter of few hours. Sometimes, the laboratory has too many tests to check, so the waiting time is longer. However, in regular situations, you get the results shortly after the testing. On the other hand, GC/MS requires different processing and the waiting time is slightly longer. It is sometimes two or more days, but it is still quite fast. Each laboratory has some specific way of working, but the results should be accurate every time.
5. Is it really positive or negative?
Immunoassay test shows only positive or negative side without detailed information about the amount of substances. For that reason, test strip can show results that are not precise. With GC/MS test, this is not possible. The amount of substances is visible in precise measurements, so you can be sure if your result is positive or negative.
As you can see, these are 5 things you should know before doing drug screenings. The procedure requires a lot of attention from the medical staff, because unwanted situations happen. You definitely do not want to false positives or negative, so it is important to have a reliable clinic that has good equipment and few types of testing methods.
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