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?Qualitative screening or quantitative analysis

المؤلف:  Sue Jickells , Adam Negrusz (Editors)

المصدر:  Clarkes Analytical Forensic Toxicology

الجزء والصفحة:  221

2026-10-15

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Qualitative screening or quantitative analysis?

 Laboratories adopt different approaches to hospital toxicology. To a large extent, the range of equipment available and the skills and know ledge of the staff govern the policy adopted. Where resources are scarce, only a limited screen for common drugs and poisons may be carried out, with the main effort directed towards quantitative analyses for toxins indicated by circumstantial evidence and the patient’s clinical signs. Specialised toxicology laboratories may pursue a systematic and comprehensive toxicological screen in every case, on the grounds that the clinical and circumstantial indicators are seldom reliable, and then proceed to quantify any substances detected. Whereas the latter approach is more likely to yield useful information, it is expensive and time-consuming. As stated above, close liaison with the clinicians to obtain a comprehensive case history and a full clinical picture can often help to focus the resources on the qualitative and quantitative tests that are most relevant. The guidelines given in Table 8.1 are useful in this context.