ENT and skin/wound swabs

• Swabs – CHECK EXPIRY
  • Blue = bacterial
  • Green = viral
  • NB: colours may vary between hospitals.
• Sterile saline (to moisten swab if swabbing dry area, e.g. nose, skin)
• Tongue depressor and torch (if taking throat swab)

• Patient should sit with their head tilted backwards with light shining into their open mouth
• Ask the patient to protrude their tongue, while you depress it with a tongue depressor if required to visualise tonsils
• Quickly but lightly rub the swab over both tonsils and the posterior pharyngeal wall

NB: warn the patient they may gag during the procedure. Viral nose and throat swabs are usually combined; in this case, collect the throat swab first, then use the same swab to take the nasal sample. Some kits have two swabs which go in the same container – a thin one for the nose and a thick one for the throat.

• Wipe the nose if excess secretions are present
• Gently insert a swab horizontally into one of the patient’s nostrils by 2-5cm until you feel resistance, aiming posteriorly along the floor of the nasal cavity
• Gently rotate the swab for 5 seconds

• Place swab in outer ear
• Rotate to collect secretions

• Expose site
• Moisten end of a swab with sterile saline if the area is dry
• Roll the swab along moist or purulent area

• Nasal: insert a moistened swab vertically into the anterior nare (approximately 2cm) and rotate swab against anterior nasal mucosa for 5 seconds (repeat on the other nostril using the same swab)
• Groin: gently roll a moistened swab back and forth against skin on both sides of groin