A patient was supposed to do a set of stool samples in a parapak. I wrote out full instructions about catching the stool in a clean container with no urine, scooping it into each vial of preservative, labeling them and bringing them back, etc. I made him sign the directions to show he had read them and kept a copy on file.
Sure enough, this 35 year old man comes back the next day with a large garbage bag. In it is his original stool catch cup packed full of stool and overflowing. Also in the bag are his feces stained gloves, feces stained toilet paper and nothing else. No parapak vials.
When asked, he said he had decided the instructions were too hard and decided to let us do it for him. So he had crammed the container full of feces and brought us toilet paper “in case we needed extra” and brought the soiled gloves back to us because he wanted us to wash them so he could reuse the feces stained disposable gloves.
The container of feces was over 24 hours old and unusable. We had to throw everything in the biohazard bin and send him off with a new kit and the same directions. I dont know if he ever did the stool test correctly and brought it back the second time.
Submitted by:
Raven Orthaevelve
Medical Technologist / Scientist
USA
