The Goal of the Specimen Collector When Collecting Specimens for Culture

Question

The goal of the specimen collector when collecting specimens for culture should be to
A) make sure the specimen gets to the laboratory.
B) avoid hurting the patient when collecting the specimen.
C) maintain the viability of the living organisms at the site with minimal contamination.
D) get the specimen quickly to get the doctor off the collector's back.

Accepted Answer

The goal of the specimen collector when collecting specimens for culture is to maintain the viability of the living organisms at the site with minimal contamination. This ensures the most accurate results from the laboratory analysis. Avoiding hurting the patient is important but not specifically related to obtaining a viable specimen for culture. Simply getting the specimen to the laboratory quickly is not enough if the living organisms have been contaminated or deteriorated.