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Timely, Accurate Tests Are Our Priority.

Specimen Collection

New Hanover Regional Medical Center Lab Services accepts complete valid orders from both affiliated and unaffiliated provider locations. We accept specimens from both providers and patients.

Be sure to follow all lab order and specimen collection instructions carefully — as outlined on this page — to avoid delays or a rejected test.

Are you a patient?

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Lab order requirements

Are you a provider? Here's what you need to know about ordering lab testing with Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center lab services.

Verify patient identity.

Be sure to verify the patient’s identity for every collection with at least two patient identifiers. The identifiers on your lab order form and the specimen(s) collection must match. Acceptable patient identifiers include:

Full name
Date of birth
Social security number (if applicable)

A nurse is kneeling as she talks with a male patient.

Identify & label specimens correctly.

To reduce the risk of error, properly label and uniquely identify all specimens you submit:

Label all specimens in the patient's presence.
Ensure that all patient identifiers are legible.
Include collection information on each specimen label:
- Date and time of collection
- Collector name or initials
- Microbiology and pathology specimens: specimen source
Adhere the label to the sides of all primary specimen containers. Do not place labels on container lids.

A Novant Health nurse is holding a young woman's hand and finger in preparation for a blood test.

Specimen collection instructions

Clean-catch urine sample

You must deliver your sample to one of our patient service center locations (listed in the following section) within 24 hours.

Supplies

Sterile urine specimen cup
Two moist towelettes
Specimen biohazard bag

Instructions

Wash your hands in warm soapy water.
Verify the patient information label on the container is correct. If there is no label, then write your first name, last name, and date of birth on a specimen container.
Open the specimen container. Do not touch the inside of the cup or the lid. If you accidentally touch the inside, please get a new container.
Collect urine:
1. Female:
  1. Open towelette 1.
  2. Separate labia with your fingers.
  3. Wipe from front to back to clean inside the labia and over the urinary opening (urethra). Discard the towelette.
  4. Repeat with towelette 2.
  5. Continuing to hold the labia open, begin urinating into the toilet.
2. Male:
  1. Open towelette 1.
  2. Retract foreskin (if present) and use the towelette to clean the entire head of the penis. Discard the towelette.
  3. Repeat with towelette 2.
  4. Begin urinating into the toilet.
Bring the specimen container into the urine stream and collect a clean, mid-stream specimen.
Finish urinating into the toilet.
Tightly put the specimen collection cup lid on.
Place the date and time of collection on the container.
Put the container in the biohazard bag.
Wash your hands.
Deliver the container to one of our patient service center locations (listed in the following section) within 24 hours.

Urine must be kept cold. Keep your specimen container on ice or refrigerated until you've delivered it to the lab. Keep the container out of reach of children.

Urine Collection (PDF) Muestra de Orina Guía (PDF)

24-hour urine sample

Supplies

24-hour urine specimen container
Collection hat

Instructions

Urinate into toilet. Empty bladder completely. Write down time (this is the start time). Do not collect the first urine.
Collect all urine in the specimen container for the next 24 hours.
Label the container with the following information:
1. Patient:
  1. First and last name
  2. Date of birth
2. Start date and time
3. End date and time
Deliver the container to one of our patient service centers (listed in the following section) as soon as possible.

Urine must be kept cold. Keep your specimen container on ice or refrigerated during the 24-hour collection period. Keep the container out of reach of children.

24hr Urine Collection (PDF) 24hr Muestra de Orina Guía (PDF)

Stool sample

Tell your doctor if you have had castor oil, mineral oil, or barium dye (from X-rays). If you have, you may need to wait at least 48 hours after ingesting these materials to provide your sample.

Supplies

Sterile specimen cup, provided by the lab
Plastic bag with zip top closure
Brown paper bag

Instructions

Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
Remove the lid from the specimen cup. Do not touch the inside of the lid or cup.
Hold the cup firmly and collect your bowel movement. Do not allow any paper or urine into the cup. Do not collect stool directly from the toilet.
Screw the lid on tightly. Make sure the outside of the cup is not soiled. If soiled, wipe the cup clean with tissue.
On the specimen cup, write the:
1. Patient’s full name and date of birth
2. Date and time of stool collection
Place the specimen cup into the plastic bag.
Place the plastic bag into the brown paper bag.
Deliver the container to one of our patient service center locations (listed in the following section) as soon as possible.

Keep the specimen on ice or refrigerated until you are able to deliver it. Keep the container out of reach of children.

Stool Collection (PDF) Muestra de Heces Guía (PDF)

Venipuncture order of draw

You must collect venipuncture specimens in the appropriate tubes and in the proper order:

Blood cultures
Red
Light blue
Yellow
Light/dark green
Lavender/pink
Gray
Dark blue

Print Collection Guide (PDF)

Collection examples

The following tiles provide a few examples of the lab tests you might collect with each type of specimen container. However, these lists do not include all possible tests for each container. Please refer to the test menu to review all tests we accept and their respective requirements.

Patient service center locations

Wilmington & surrounding areas

Submit completed samples to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Lab Services patient service center location nearest you. Our skilled team will take care of the rest.

Reasons a specimen may be rejected

The following are examples of reasons we may have to reject your specimen:

Quality not sufficient (QNS) — inadequate specimen volume
Discrepancy in patient identification
Specimen is:
- Contaminated
- Unlabeled, mislabeled, or incompletely labeled
- Unacceptable due to the test methodology requirements (hemolysis, lipemia, etc)
- Damaged (e.g., from light exposure or excessive temperature) due to improper storage, handling, transportation, or being in transit for too long before receipt
- From an unacceptable source or incorrect tube type

If we must deem a specimen unacceptable for testing, we will notify the patient and/or ordering provider. When possible, we may only process rejected specimens at the specific request of the ordering provider after you have submitted appropriate documentation.

Woman team members in a clinic office reviewing patient information on computer screens

Get in Touch.

Interested in local, quality, cost-effective laboratory testing for your facility? Submit our contact form today. We will respond within five business days to discuss solutions that meet your individual needs.

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