Definition - What does Lab Test mean?
A lab test is a clinical procedure that involves collecting, analyzing, and reviewing hair, saliva, or urine specimens to measure the biochemical properties of suspected drug metabolites in the system to finalize positive or negative test results.
SureHire explains Lab Test
Generally, employers reserve the discretionary privilege to conduct drug testing measures following a criterion that allows for the type of specimens needed alongside a selected panel of drug classes and their derivative compounds.
A technician can perform lab tests for any legal or illicit substances including, but not limited to, the following: amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP), noting deviations in the way of baseline standards.
Depending on the industry, many companies opt for point-of-collection testing (POCT), which requires a saliva or urine specimen provided by a donor as a convenient, cost-effective, and speedy drug testing alternative. However, POCT-based drug testing provides only a negative or non-negative test result, the latter of which leaves inference to suspect purported drug abuse that often requires a lab test to override illegitimate findings. Employers draw on lab tests to settle discrepancies that can arise from a non-negative test result, based on conflicting evidence between existing drug analytes from an ingested substance and sustained drug use.
A Medical Review Officer (MRO) is a certified physician qualified to account for comparative analyses from the original test findings against the normative cutoff threshold ranges corresponding to drug classes/subclasses to level the outcome. Employers who are subject to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) aligned with the Canadian Model subsidiary for advancing safe work practices must adhere to confirmatory lab test protocol where positive or negative test results hold legal validity.
