Rapid roadside urine test - is it legal in 2021?

As they say, as you collect the analysis, that’s how it will be carried out. If you want the results of your tests to be as reliable as possible, then you need to follow the rules when collecting. Many people don’t even think that there are any rules here. And really, what nonsense. Find a jar, piss in it, screw it on and you're done. But it's not that simple. And although 90% of our country has been doing this all their lives, this does not mean that they are doing it correctly. In principle, it is common for Russian people to read the instructions after use, and many things are even used for purposes other than their intended purpose only because people themselves have figured out their place in life. But if you came to Kakasic, it means you want to correctly collect urine for analysis, so that there are no problems and you are not forced to resend it. And of course, dear reader, Kakasic will be happy to help you!

Express urine test is a win-win option for the traffic police

If a traffic police officer catches a drug addict behind the wheel, honor and praise be to him. But in case of an error, he will at least lose precious time, during which he will not complete the task for the service - he will not compile a certain number of protocols. In the most unfavorable scenario, he will suffer financially. The situation is reminiscent of a lottery. And the policeman really doesn’t want to lose.

That's why they came up with rapid tests for the content of narcotic substances in urine.

During a preliminary urine test during a medical examination in a doctor’s office, so-called test strips are used, which quite accurately and quickly determine the presence of narcotic and psychotropic substances in the body using urine - the driver pees in a jar, and the doctor determines the presence of prohibited substances. Officially, this method is called immunochromatographic.

Similar test strips, but for household use, were adopted by traffic police inspectors. The procedure for testing urine on the road is quite simple:

if drug intoxication is suspected, a traffic police officer initiates a rapid test, hands the driver a urine cup and, in the field, offers to pee in it,
then an express strip (or even several strips in one clip) is dipped into the cup,
if only one mark appears on the strip, then there are narcotic substances in the driver’s body,
if two marks appear, there are no narcotic substances,
if not a single mark appears, it means the test strip is completely defective.

But how legal is this method of testing drivers for intoxication? Does the inspector even have the right to demand that this controversial procedure, which is unacceptable for many motorists, be completed?

What does the test container consist of?

As a rule, they are made of polypropylene or polystyrene; the products are quite durable and can withstand low temperatures. They always have special lids that do not allow the contents to leak and prevent the entry of air or other organisms.

Stool jars with spoon

Before being sold to the buyer, the container for testing is chemically sterilized and placed in a unique package. Containers are used to collect samples, which must be kept in a sterile place. Some jars for urine tests are suitable for storage only for twelve hours after collection; they have not been sterilized and are suitable for daily analysis.

Tip: Use containers before expiration date.

Does an employee have the right to ask to pee in a jar?

The first point to pay attention to is that the inspector can only ask you to urinate in a cup. The inspector has no right to demand that you submit your urine for analysis; he is not a doctor.

Why doesn't he have the right to demand? Yes, because all its legal requirements are spelled out in the Federal Law on Police and Administrative Regulations. And the roadside inspection procedure itself does not include a urine test as such.

But his request is painted in an orderly tone, and not every driver knows that he can simply ask the inspector again: is he offering or demanding? After answering that he is only asking, the policeman must be conveyed the following idea: since he has suspicions of intoxication, then let him act according to the standard scheme, which implies an examination and a medical examination.

How to collect and store stool

You will need clean, sterile containers (as in the case of urine). For a more reliable result, it is necessary to exclude the ingress of particles of blood, water and other chemicals. It is worth collecting in plastic or glass containers. Matchboxes are unlikely to be accepted, so don't risk it. Containers that have been in use must be washed with detergent and rinsed with boiling water.

Container with spoon for feces

Before the “big deal,” empty your bladder, wash it dry and wipe your perineum. Prepare a container to collect feces; 1-2 teaspoons will be enough. Take a little from different sides, since parasites may not be everywhere.

Let's move on to the collection of analyzes itself. It’s worth going into a clean container, but if you have any difficulties with this, you can do the following:

cover the toilet with film and take a clean spoon (if there is no special container for stool tests);
collect the required amount into a vessel;
We hand over the stool container to the laboratory.

If you need to take feces from a child, it is recommended that the child prepare in the same way as an adult. Avoid constipation and diarrhea in the week before bowel movement. Do not give your baby laxatives or food that can cause diarrhea, do not feed him new foods (if he has not eaten oranges, for example, do not give him until you have been tested).

Collection can be done directly from the diaper or potty (which must be clean before the procedure). A teaspoon of feces is enough.

If you have constipation, limit yourself to dietary foods, and be sure to consult your doctor. Before donation, you should not use suppositories, enemas or laxatives. If it turns out that an enema was performed, the biomaterial should be collected only after 48 hours.

to store feces ; it is better to give it in the first 2 hours after collection, and better in the morning. There is no need to keep feces open, as other organisms will develop in it. If suddenly you cannot bring the stool container to the laboratory on time, remember that it can be stored for up to 10 hours. The material can be kept in the refrigerator for several hours, but not in the freezer.

Where do they take tests and what do they do with them?

Basically, these are private and public medical institutions or laboratories. There must be a district clinic at your place of residence. Returning to public hospitals, results can be obtained within a day, and not always for free. Private clinics charge a fee, but provide the results on the day of delivery, after a couple of hours.

The test jar is delivered to the laboratory, where the biomaterial is applied to glass and stained, then a laboratory assistant uses a microscope to examine the feces for the presence of helminths. If parasites are detected, the results are sent to the attending physician. If the findings are questionable, re-analysis may be required.

The urine is checked for: color, transparency, smell, acidity, density, presence of protein, sugar, hemoglobin, leukocytes, bacteria and salts.

The patient can learn all the data and possible diseases from his attending physician. For children, this is a pediatrician; for adults, this is a therapist or infectious disease specialist, as well as a gastroenterologist. If only results are given, be sure to consult a doctor.

Is it possible to refuse and remain with the rights?

You don't have to practice your marksmanship with a glass in the fresh air.

However, the situation can be turned into a joke: you agree to pee in a cup if the inspector holds it.

If the traffic police officer still does not fall behind, demand compliance with the examination procedure and medical examination.

How should the examination be carried out?

Below is a complete description of the procedure in effect for 2021. It is regulated by the regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

First, the inspector is obliged, in the presence of two witnesses or using a video recording, to draw up a protocol on the suspension from driving a vehicle.
Then, an alcohol intoxication examination report is drawn up, and you have the obligation to blow into the breathalyzer. If you haven’t taken alcohol in the last 24 hours, then there’s nothing to be afraid of – feel free to drink. But remember - only exhalation is used for the test, the inspector has no right to pee in a jar or other actions on the road!
However, you can also refuse purging. In any case, the inspector suspects intoxication, and the examination is only a necessary step to legally send you to a doctor.
The doctor in the office will fill out a medical examination report and also ask you to blow into a breathalyzer. And then he will offer to urinate in a glass. It is the doctor who has the right to dip the test strip into a biological sample and give an opinion whether it contains traces of psychotropic or narcotic substances or not. We are talking about suspicions, since dipping the test in urine is only a preliminary analysis. And, if the test strip reacts to some substance in the body, then in order to make a verdict about the presence of drug intoxication, the doctor is obliged to send the sample for a confirmatory test to a chemical-toxicological laboratory.
Research in the chemical-toxicological laboratory is carried out anonymously using two different methods. There is no doubt about their reliability. And even if the doctor cheated during the preliminary analysis, an assessment of the results of confirmatory studies will indicate his dishonesty.

All of the above is a description of the procedure that does not go beyond the legality and integrity of traffic police inspectors, and this is how they not only have the right to check for intoxication, but are also obliged if there are grounds for this.

What types of containers for feces and urine are there?

Jars for urine delivered to the laboratory are called containers, and they are selected depending on the study. These can be glass jars with a lid, pharmaceutical or special ones. In the case of glass (homemade small jars), they must be sterilized.

Stool/urine jars

The container for collecting urine is divided into four options:

a glass with a screw-on lid - plastic and sealed, transparent with a wide neck and narrow base, with a scale of about 60-250 ml. Does not require repeated rinsing or washing, suitable for urine, mucus or sputum;
the container with the test tube is durable plastic with a label and graduation; the lid has a built-in holder to avoid body contact with urine. There is a hole with special vacuum needle with sticker. Volume is approximately 20 to 100 ml. The urine jar contains a predetermined vacuum level, is sterile inside, and comes with or without preservatives such as boric acid. Storage of biomaterial is possible for half a day. The presence of boric acid will delay the growth of bacteria for a day;
daily urine test jar - has a volume of two to three liters, visually looks like a cylinder with a grooved handle, is sealed, has a stopper and a lid, and is graduated. Any data is entered on the label;
baby bag - used for babies, made of polyethylene, it is fixed on the child’s genitals and is collected without loss of urine, the volume of such bags is 100-200 ml. The item is sterile and disposable, packed in a bag. There are universal options and specific ones (for girls or boys).

Container for stool analysis: made of the same material as for urine, the volume of such jars is from 30 to 60 ml, and also depends on the type of study. The only difference is a jar for stool tests with a spoon or stick .

Such test containers have a spoon or stick attached to the bottom of the lid for more convenient collection of biomaterial. The lids of such products are airtight and will not allow other bacteria to get inside. On average, such containers hold about 9 g of material and have stickers for notes. They will not cause inconvenience to others, and can easily be transferred to the laboratory independently. Subject to all storage conditions, biomaterial can be stored for five years. You can also use non-sterile containers, but then the test results may not be accurate.

Advice: if for some reason you were unable to purchase a special container, you can use a glass jar, after washing it first so that there are no foreign microorganisms.

But what if you agree to a urine test on the road?

If a driver meets a “werewolf in uniform” on the road and agrees to urinate in a glass, then expect trouble.

There are many tricks to persuade a driver to give a bribe or refuse a medical examination.

I'm describing the easiest way. Let’s say, according to the instructions for the express test, the strip must be kept in the urine after you pee in the jar for at least 20 seconds, and the inspector will hold it for 15 seconds.

The appearance of the second mark on the strip must be waited for 5-10 minutes at room temperature according to the instructions. The inspector will wait a couple of minutes in the fresh air (with urine), and with threats poke a strip under the driver’s nose: “Look, there is no second mark! You are a drug addict! You will be registered! They will deprive you of your rights!”

Covering his tracks, the traffic police officer will immediately throw the test strip into the trash bin.

After 10 minutes, a second mark will appear on it, but the driver’s attention switched to the threats of the police officer, and he, to use inspector slang, “flowed.” Now he can either be tricked into taking a bribe, or under the threat of drugs being found in his body during a medical examination, he can be forced to give it up.

Why can't we agree yet?

Test strips can even work for poppy seed buns and barbiturates.

The rapid test is very sensitive. And 10 hours after eating a bun with poppy seeds, morphine can be detected in the urine. After taking medications with barbiturates, for example, phenobarbital, the test strip will still react to them after 3 days.

But even in this case, you should require a referral for a medical examination. For 2021, there are thresholds that, if exceeded, constitute drug intoxication. Traces of morphine or phenobarbital from buns and drugs will not exceed them.

Something else useful for you:

Suspension from driving a vehicle in questions and answers
New law on saliva drug testing in the traffic police in questions and answers
You can be deprived of your license for taking medications - is this true? How to avoid and list of prohibited drugs

How to take tests correctly

We all, one way or another, have to get tested. Moreover, this often applies not only to sick people, but also to healthy people. It is unlikely that there is at least one person who has never undergone a medical examination in his life (for the military registration and enlistment office, obtaining a certificate for a swimming pool or insurance, before traveling abroad, when applying for a job) or medical examination.

Ideally, each of us should have a personal doctor who will tell us what and how to do when taking tests. However, the reality is that most often we communicate with a therapist from the district clinic, who does not explain anything. Meanwhile, when handing over a referral for even a banal general blood and urine test, the patient should be told about preparations for the study. But they don’t tell... However, it is not only the unprofessionalism of doctors or their reluctance to work that is to blame here, but the operating conditions of the native healthcare system. The time spent on seeing a patient, according to the standards, should be seven minutes for the patient and about five if the person came for a certificate or for a medical examination. In such conditions, we would have time to write out all the directions, where to clarify why it is needed and how to take tests.

When receiving a referral for analysis, think about what you will do if the result turns out to be:

a) positive

b) negative

If the answers are the same, there is no need for analysis.

Murphy's Rule No. 195. Cochrane's aphorism.

A clear illustration of “analytical” illiteracy are the results of a small survey that was informally conducted by employees of one of the laboratories. Based on its results, it turned out, for example, that most of the line with jars was not aware that before collecting urine it was necessary to wash the causative area. No less indicative are patients who had x-rays and injections done immediately before donating blood. To the question “how can this be?” the answer is almost always the same - “nobody told us...”

Of course, to talk about the details of preparing for the collection of all existing tests, you will have to write a thick, thick reference book. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to the most important ones, which we take almost every year and without fail. An educational program on “banal” analyzes will not hurt anyone.

Blood analysis

The requirements for a general blood test apply to all tests, except for very specific ones - for the latter, additional restrictions are simply added.

General rules for donating blood

strictly on an empty stomach (no earlier than 12 hours after the last meal): dinner the day before should be light and early, and the entire previous day (ideally even 2-3) should abstain from fatty foods;
24 hours in advance, any alcohol, thermal procedures (bath and sauna) and physical activity are excluded (it is better to postpone the gym and chopping wood at the dacha);
tests are taken before procedures (X-rays, injections, massages, etc.) and taking medications;
if repeated studies are necessary, it is advisable to take the sample at the same time of day;
in front of the laboratory door you need to rest for 5-10 minutes (that’s the excuse for the queues).

When donating blood for glucose, in addition to this, you should not brush your teeth or chew gum, and morning tea/coffee (even unsweetened) is completely contraindicated.

Even if you can’t live without a morning cup of coffee, endure it. It will dramatically change your glucose levels. They will also be affected by contraceptives, twenty drops of cognac in evening tea, diuretics and other medications.

Blood chemistry

For the reliability of biochemistry, it is advisable to refuse dinner. When prescribing this test, you need to extract information from the doctor, even under torture, about how to adjust your diet and how to take medications on the day before donating blood.

For example, when studying bile pigments, the picture is distorted by foods that cause coloration in the blood serum - pumpkin, beets, carrots, citrus fruits. Eating a pork chop the day before will increase the level of potassium and uric acid in the blood. And this is one hundredth of what can affect biochemistry.

Donating blood for hormones

Unless the doctor advises otherwise, a month before the study, stop all hormonal medications. When donating blood to determine the level of sex hormones, you will also have to abstain from sex (in any form) and sexual arousal for at least 24 hours. Otherwise, at best, you will have to retake an expensive test, and at worst, you will receive inadequate therapy.

Determining the level of thyroid hormones requires eliminating medications with iodine and avoiding iodized salt.

Hormonal levels are unstable and depend on many factors, so if the result of a hormone test is suspiciously off the scale, it is better to repeat the study several times in different laboratories. The pleasure, of course, is not cheap, but given the effect of hormonal therapy on the body, you should not neglect rechecking.

Analysis of urine

A general urine test is the most common in medical practice, along with a general blood test. But, despite this, most patients are not aware that before peeing in a jar, they need to wash the external genitalia (always towards the anus, and not away from it) and wipe dry with a clean linen napkin.

Neglect of hygiene, along with the use of dirty dishes or utensils made of unstable plastic, are the cause of the most common errors in analysis results.

It is also not recommended to collect urine during menstruation (if it is really necessary, a tampon and a thorough shower will come to the rescue) and earlier than a week after cystoscopy.

As with a blood test, diet and medications can change the test result for the worse. After some medications or foods (for example, beets, vitamins), the color of the urine changes (who will tell the laboratory assistant about this?), and alcohol 24 hours before the test is strictly contraindicated. There is a known case when a patient who forgot to report alcoholic libations was sought to be taken to the hospital with suspected liver disease. The guy, who was sunbathing in Sochi at the time, became very nervous before the situation became clearer.

For general analysis

use the first morning portion of urine (the previous urination should be no later than 4-6 hours). Even if you forget to pee in a jar for the twentieth time when you are asleep, you cannot fill it in the evening, otherwise the results will surprise not only you, but also the doctors.

The first few milliliters are drained past the container, the rest into a clean container, but not into a pot or vessel, the sterility of which cannot be guaranteed. In this case, you do not need to bring a liter jar to the laboratory for general analysis - laboratory assistants do not indulge in urine therapy, and 50-100 ml of urine is enough for analysis.

Collection of daily analysis

All urine, except morning urine, goes into a dark glass container; if there is none, then the material for analysis should be stored exclusively in a dark, cool place. Again, only 50-100 ml of liquid is sent to the laboratory, however, it is important to record its total amount.

By the way, incidents often happen with daily urine. So, pregnant women came to one laboratory more than once to check their sugar with urine for a routine analysis, after standing for a day. The girls were firmly convinced that this was daily urine.

Research on Nechiporenko

The middle portion of morning urine in the amount of 25-50 ml is analyzed, the first and last are poured into another container. This study requires particularly careful hygiene - it is prescribed when kidney disease is suspected and any “foreign” impurities can be misinterpreted. Mucus with leukocytes from the genital organs will end up in the jar, and the patient will be treated, for example, for pyelonephritis.

Stool analysis

Here you can briefly dwell on what is not recommended to be done before collecting material:

you should not send stool for examination after enemas and x-ray examination of the stomach;
three days before the test, the doctor must stop medications that affect secretion, increase intestinal motility and change the color of stool (laxatives, enzyme preparations, barium, bismuth, iron preparations, kaolin, activated carbon and other sorbents, rectal suppositories);
if the diet is not specified separately, then it is not necessary to follow it, however, holidays with feasts are not welcome

***

All these recommendations are only suitable for routine examinations. If the situation is urgent (for example, the patient was brought by ambulance to the hospital), then, if possible, you just need to tell the doctor about what may affect the reliability of the tests.

If the patient, for his part, has done everything that depended on him, then it’s up to the laboratory. And one cannot help but add a warning that has set the teeth on edge: the result of the analysis is not a diagnosis

, it can only be determined by the attending physician. He knows better how and with what to treat the patient. In addition, laboratories also contain people who can make mistakes. If the eye of a specialist will most likely notice an obvious discrepancy, then when trying to self-medicate, such a mistake can be costly.

Olesya Sosnitskaya, Leonid Shchebotansky