When teaching a client about home testing for occult blood, the nurse instructs the client that:

Question

A. Positive results are indicative of bleeding
B. Poultry and fish should be eaten before testing
C. Testing should be postponed during the menstrual cycle
D. Two samples should be obtained from the same part of the stool specimen

Answer 1

C
C. Specimens will be positive if contaminated by menstrual blood or hemorrhoidal blood or povidone-iodine.
A. Single positive test result does not confirm bleeding or indicate colorectal cancer.
B. Diets rich in meats, green leafy vegetables, poultry, and fish may produce false-positive results.
D. Obtain second fecal specimen from different portion of stool.