Why it is performed
- Perform clinical, occupational, sports, administrative or legal testing with the correct panel and safeguards.
- Detect recent exposure to substance classes included in the screen.
- Confirm and identify a specific substance when the result has important consequences.
How it is performed
The person collects the specimen under instructions without adding water or products. Formal testing documents identity, temperature, seals, signatures, transport and each transfer. Local screening uses cut-offs; confirmation is performed at a partner laboratory.
Preparation
- Declare all prescribed and over-the-counter medicines and supplements; some substances can interfere with immunoassays.
- Do not try to 'clean' or dilute the sample; it may be reported as invalid or adulterated.
- State before collection if a legal chain-of-custody report is required.
How Askabide processes it
Combined pathway
Immunochromatographic or immunological screening by drug class using device-defined cut-offs. Specific confirmations use GC-MS or LC-MS/MS according to the partner laboratory and purpose.
Part is performed at Askabide and another phase or confirmation is processed externally.
Results and indicative intervals
Intervals vary by method, analyser, reagent, units, age, sex, pregnancy, menstrual-cycle phase and reference population. The valid interval is the one printed on the laboratory report.
| Parameter or result | Indicative reference | How it is interpreted |
|---|---|---|
| Negative | Por debajo del punto de corte | Does not mean absolute absence; the substance may be below the cut-off or outside the detection window. |
| Presumptive positive | Igual o superior al punto de corte | This is a screening result and must be confirmed when clinical, occupational or legal consequences are involved. |
| Confirmed | Sustancia/metabolito identificado | The confirmation method identifies and, where applicable, quantifies the specific analyte. |
| Invalid/adulterated | Nueva muestra | Temperature, creatinine, specific gravity, pH or control abnormalities may prevent interpretation. |
Important limitations
- Each substance has a different detection window affected by dose, frequency, metabolism and specimen.
- Class screens can cross-react with medicines or miss new/unlisted substances.
- A result alone does not prove intoxication, impairment, dose or exact time of use.
- Tests with legal consequences require consent, identification and chain of custody.