Introduction:

Drug testing is an essential part of the hiring process, especially in professions such as healthcare, aviation, transport, or any business that involves the use of heavy machinery. However, the drug testing at the time of hiring only gives you an idea about the history of that person. You never know what the future holds and at times, the drug testing needs to be done due to numerous other reasons. Drug testing at Corpus Christi is now made easy with 24/7 Onsite always available for your company to get professional drug testing services.

Drug testing could be required after an accident, due to reasonable suspicion, random drug testing, scheduled drug testing as per the company norms, or screening before someone returns to work. All these conditions call for different kinds of drug testing, and we are here to explain the same.

Rapid drug testing or instant drug testing is a method that gives you results in faster results than traditional, in-lab testing. 

It is quite obvious that the basic difference that separates lab-based testing from rapid testing is that the results of the rapid tests are faster. But if you go deep into this concept, this is not the only difference between lab-based drug testing and rapid testing.

Lab-based testing

Lab-based testing follows a step-by-step process, gives detailed results as compared to the rapid test, and is legally acceptable in the court of law if need be. The process of lab-based drug testing starts with ruling out the obvious drugs in the initial screening process. If they find the traces of drug or drug metabolite in the initial screening itself, your sample will definitely undergo further testing and they will quantify the amount of drug that has been consumed along with the exact type of the drug. Lab-based drug testing is also useful for knowing for sure that a person actually, actively indulged in drug consumption and is not a victim of secondary consumption such as passive smoking.

Rapid drug test

Rapid drug testing is basically a quick screening that gives you results in a considerably less time period, especially if the reports are negative. With this kind of drug testing, the results are not necessarily 100% accurate. This is just an initial screening meant to determine the presence of drugs in the body. There is no positive result when it comes to rapid testing. It is either negative or non-negative. These non-negative results once sent to and tested by a laboratory, give you an accurate idea as to what brought the result to be non-negative. This process could take 2-3 days but the initial screening is good enough to clear your suspicion. 

How many drugs can a rapid drug test detect?

As per the company policy, the employer defines the type, name, and threshold of the drug to be tested. This range is basically between 5 to 22-panel tests. The best part about this test is that it can be completely customized according to the employer’s requirements without any problem. You can remove the drugs of no use and check for the ones that are relevant to you. 

What specimen is needed for a rapid drug test?

The rapid test isn’t very different when it comes to specimen collection. Usually, saliva or urine is to be collected in order to conduct a rapid drug test. Urine is obviously more relevant to the test but a saliva specimen also does the job.

How long does a rapid urine drug test take?

Here comes the real question! A rapid drug test gives away negative results immediately. However, when the results are found to be non-negative, the specimens will be required to go further for a laboratory test. This test occurs under the guidance of a physician and can take 2-3 days.

Are instant drug tests accurate?

The accuracy of this test is not at all compromised if you’re questioning how it can be fast and accurate at the same time. Mostly, a rapid test is enough to give you confirmation about the drug consumption. However, if you use an appropriate sample, you’ll get an accurate result.

What is the protocol?

Well, the process is quite easy. The test card will be dipped into the collected sample and it will change colors according to the presence of drugs in the sample. All of this happens within a matter of minutes and is done on-site.