Insufficient Specimen or Temperature Out of Range?
Question
“A donor provides an initial urine specimen that is insufficient in quantity. There is not enough specimen to reach the temperature strip on the container when the container is sitting flat on the table, so there is no reading on the temperature strip. The collector suspects it might be a “cold” specimen because the container lacks the warmth of a typical specimen. We know that a temp out of range specimen triggers a direct observation, but that the shy bladder procedure simply asks the donor to drink liquids and to try again. What do we do …?”
Answer
If there is not enough specimen to reach the temperature strip the collector should tip the container to allow the specimen to contact the area of the temperature strip. It may be possible to activate the temperature strip and get a reading. If the collector is satisfied that by tipping the container the insufficient quantity of specimen adequately contacts the area of the temperature strip, and the temp strip does not register a temperature, then the specimen is considered to be temperature out of range. A temperature out of range specimen triggers the direct observation procedure.
If, by tipping the specimen container the collector can get a reading on the temperature strip, then the collector continues with the shy bladder procedure. Similarly, if the specimen is such a small quantity that even by tipping the container the specimen does not adequately contact the area of temperature strip and therefore there is no temperature reading, then the collector proceeds with the shy bladder procedure.
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