Skip to main content
Medicine LibreTexts

19.4: Oropharyngeal Specimen Collection

  1. Last updated
  2. Save as PDF
  • Page ID
    44672

    • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    The oropharynx is the part of the throat at the back of the mouth behind the oral cavity. It includes the back third of the tongue, the soft palate, the side and back walls of the throat, and the tonsils.[1] When obtaining a specimen from this area, it is important to avoid the tongue and teeth. Depending on the test ordered, the nurse may obtain the specimen from the tonsils alone or the posterior pharynx (throat) and the tonsils. Keep in mind that if you are ever unsure about how to accurately obtain a specimen, lab technicians are a great resource.

    See the “Checklist for Oropharyngeal Testing” for additional details about performing the procedure.

    Life Span Considerations

    Infants and Children

    Specimen collection on infants and children may require the support of another health care provider or a parent. Educate the patient and the parent about the procedure and the expectations if the parent decides to assist with the specimen collection. During specimen collection, it’s important that the patient is immobile to prevent injury to the nasal cavity, nasopharyngeal, or oropharynx.

    Note

    View Medscape’s YouTube video to review oropharyngeal testing:[2]
    How to Perform a Throat Swab

    1. National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Oropharynx. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/oropharynx↵
    2. Medscape. (2018, August 23). How to perform a throat swab on a patient. [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. https://youtu.be/-uyBJ0nv4oI↵

    This page titled 19.4: Oropharyngeal Specimen Collection is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ernstmeyer & Christman (Eds.) (OpenRN) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.