Hub · Glossary
Glossary
Defined terms used across drug and alcohol testing. Each entry links back to the substantive references that use it. We add new terms as the field updates.
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- Chain of custody A documented, unbroken record of who handled a specimen, from collection through analysis and reporting.
- Confirmation cutoff The concentration above which the mass-spectrometry confirmation reports a verified positive.
- Confirmation test A second-stage analysis that confirms (or rejects) an initial non-negative screening result.
- Cutoff level The concentration threshold at or above which a sample is reported as non-negative.
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- Mandatory Guidelines The SAMHSA-published procedures that govern federally regulated workplace drug testing.
- Medical Review Officer (MRO) A licensed physician trained to interpret drug-test results and serve as the medical buffer between the laboratory and the employer.
- Metabolite A compound produced by the body's metabolism of a drug; often what drug tests actually detect.
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- SAMHSA The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — publisher of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs.
- Screening cutoff The concentration above which the immunoassay screen flags a sample as non-negative.
- Screening test The first analytical step — typically immunoassay — that flags samples for confirmation.
- Specimen The biological sample collected for testing (urine, oral fluid, hair, blood, or breath).