Screening and Confirmatory Drug Tests

There are two types of drug tests: screening and confirmatory. Screening tests are preliminary tests that use antibody technology to detect specific substances in urine. They are rapid, less expensive, and provide quick results. However, they can have false positives due to cross-reactivity with certain substances. Confirmatory tests, on the other hand, use chromatography and mass spectroscopy to identify and quantify specific drugs and their metabolites. These tests are more expensive, time-consuming, and provide accurate results. Confirmatory tests are used when the results impact patient care, such as legal issues or compliance monitoring.