The health care provider has ordered a stool specimen for ova and para

The health care provider has ordered a stool specimen for ova and parasites from the 43-year-old male client. The nurse knows that when collecting the specimen the stool must be:

1. Kept on ice
2. Kept warm
3. Collected using sterile technique
4. Free from urine

ANSWER

ANS: 2
It is important to avoid delays in sending specimens to the laboratory. Some tests such as meas-urement for ova and parasites require the stool to be warm. The specimen need not be collected using sterile technique, because the laboratory will not be testing the sample for bacteria, but it should be collected with good sanitation practices. Likewise, a small amount of urine should not alter the test results.