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| APPENDIX 12: Instructions for Collecting a Stool Specimen forLaboratory
Examination |
Laboratory
Examination
- Use a bedpan if you have one to collect the stool. Be sure the bedpan is clean. If you
don't have a bedpan, use a large glass jar that has been carefully cleaned and boiled.
- Collect a specimen of every stool passed within the period designated by your physician.
- Consider your first stool as the collection-period starting time.
- If you accidentally discard a specimen, call the nurse or lab. Sometimes you need to
save only a small portion of each stool or collect only one stool specimen for analysis.
- Don't contaminate specimen by urinating or placing toilet tissue in bedpan or jar.
- The lab technician, nurse or doctor will give you a plastic, cardboard or glass
container with a tight lid to minimize odor.
- Put collected specimen in the container. Use a tongue blade or piece of cardboard to
transfer the stool from the bedpan or jar to the specimen container. Be careful not to
contaminate the outside of the container with the stool.
- Don't overfill the container.
- Keep container in a cool place during collection period.
- Carefully loosen the lid occasionally, to allow gas to escape.
- If you have difficulty defecating, call the nurse.
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From Complete Guide to Medical Tests by H. Winter Griffith, M.D. Copyright by Fisher Books. Electronic rights by Medical Data Exchange.
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