Any inflamed areas should be carefully swabbed, avoiding other areas of the mouth.
- Ask the patient to tilt their head back, open mouth wide, breathe deeply, and say "ah".
- Extend the swab to the back of the oral cavity, being careful not to touch lips, walls of mouth, uvula, or tongue.
- Rubbing the swab over both tonsillar pillars and posterior oropharynx.
- Avoid touching the tongue, teeth, and gums.
- Place the swab into the provided transport media
- Grasp the top of the swab and bend within the media container until the shaft breaks. If there is no indicator line, bend within the media container until the shaft breaks.
- Break the shaft short enough to fit completly into the media container.
- Replace the media cap and screw on securely. Label with the OP source