Question

What would you document on a patient's chart if they were getting a collection of a throat swab for a rapid strep throat culture.  

Answer 1

The following things need to document in the patient's chart:

• Date of collection
• Time of collection
• Reason for collection
• What are the signs and symptoms noticed before collection.
• From which region of the throat, swab taken(mention the infected region)
• Document if patient had any gag reflex during collection
• Document the use of red duo- swab in transport media( only used in rapid strep throat culture)
• Document the time at which sample send to laboratory.

For example,

DATE	TIME	NURSE'S NOTES	SIGN
22/09/2020	11:30AM	Patient complaints severe throat ache with fever. On assessment, detect
		signs of a strep throat: fever, white or yellow spots that coat the lining of the
		throat, bright and dark red spots near the throat, and swollen tonsils.
		Performed a throat swab with a sterile cotton swab to check for bacteria.
		Patient had gag reflex during collection. Used a red Duo-Swab in transport media for rapid strep test.
	11:45AM	Labeled the sample and send to laboratory