Alberta Safety First Can helps you select and manage a program involving oral fluid, urine or hair testing. There are a few options when it comes to selecting a testing medium. There is advantages and disadvantages in each category. Please find below for more information.
Oral Fluid
Drugs ingested orally or smoked can get caught in the mucosa and will be detected by an Oral Fluid Test. The oral mucosa refers to the mucous membrane of the mouth.
Advantages:
- Reduced donor embrarrassment,
- Detection times of recently used drugs are significantly improved
- Minimizes the chance of adulteration or substitution
Disadvantages:
- Narrower drug detection window
- Less fluid sample size
Urine Analysis
Advantages:
- Instant results
- More cost effective than laboratory screening
- Can be used in remote areas where shipping specimens to a laboratory may be difficult.
Disadvantages:
- Potential for adulteration or substitution
- Certain types of Point-of-care-Testing (POCT) devices can be costly
- Positive results require laboratory confirmation
Hair Follicle
Drug molecules are deposited into the hair shaft via blood transport. Fixed to the hair, the drug molecules move with the hair as it grows away from the head. Hair follicles specimens are normally collected from the head of the donor. If an insufficient amount of head hair is available, body hair can also be used but is not preferred.
Advantages:
- Minimal substitution
- Reduced donor embarrassment
- Extended detection window
Disadvantages:
- Short-term detection
- No point-of-care screening (must go to lab)
- Can be costly if insufficient amount of hair is provided
