LabGuides are short tutorials designed to help you meet the acceptance criteria for certain specimens sent to the DSHS Laboratory. Improper collection, documentation, storage, or shipment of specimens are primary reasons they are considered unsatisfactory for testing by the Laboratory and discarded.

Correct specimen preparation and handling is beneficial for all involved. For the Laboratory, it helps ensure the quality of test results and compliance with regulatory requirements, and it meets test manufacturers’ specimen acceptance criteria. For the provider, it avoids the added expense, delays in prompt diagnosis of medical condition or illness, disruption of health services, and possibly additional discomfort for the patient.

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• THSteps Fingerstick Blood Specimen Collection (770kb)
• THSteps Venipuncture Blood Specimen Collection (282kb)
• Packaging and Shipping Blood Tubes (253kb)
• Submitting Rabies Specimens to the Laboratory (354kb)