Druglizer Testing Procedure
STEP 1. Preparing for the test. Ensure you have a suitable area to perform the test and a flat area to lay the Druglizer while it is analysing. Check that the Druglizer has sufficient charge and that you have a box of Druglizer Cartridges, inspecting the 'Temperature Card' on the inside of the box to check for the possibility of heat damage (the card stays with the box until all Cartridges are used).
For an individual test, check you have three new Cartridges. The foil packaging of each Cartridge should be free from damage and remains hermetically sealed. Check the expiry date of each cartridge by reading the date printed on the back of the foil packaging. Store Cartridges in a safe place in between tests.
STEP 2. Ask the donor when they last had something to eat or drink - strict compliance with AS 4760:2019 specifies nil by mouth 15 minutes prior to test, this includes not smoking/vaping in that time.
TIP - Coffee, Tea & other milk products have been found to cause severe 'dry mouth' in donors.
STEP 3. Ask the donor to select one of the three Druglizer cartridges, use the one they select in their test. Open the foil packaging and carefully remove the cartridge from the packaging. Immediately insert the cartridge into the Druglizer placing the small plastic bag containing the Collector next to the instrument.
STEP 4. Now open the plastic bag containing the Collector, carefully remove the Collector from the packaging, handing it immediately and directly to the donor. Ensure nothing touches the sponge.
Instruct the donors to press the inside of their cheeks with the tip of the tongue 5 times to encourage the production of saliva.
Instruct the donor to rub the collector up and down 5 times on the inside of each cheek, then back and forth on the tongue 5 times (sponge side on the cheek). Finally, place the Collector on top of the tongue with the sponge facing down (the sponge should be towards the middle/back of the donors' tongue).
Instruct the donor to tilt their head forwards and rest in a “chin to chest” position.
Ensure the collector sponge is not chewed or sucked at any time in this process.
The collector should remain in the mouth for a minimum of 1 minute, with the donor in a “chin to chest” position, to allow for sufficient saliva to be collected.
TIP - advise the donor not to be concerned about excess saliva on the collector and not to suck or bite the sponge during the sample collection process or when removing it from their mouth.
STEP 5. Once the full minute has elapsed, advise the donor to raise their head, open their mouth fully and, without sucking on the collector, remove the collector from their mouth avoiding contact with their teeth.
TIP - This action will ensure that all the accumulated saliva is retained on the Collector sponge.
STEP 6. Once removed from the mouth, ask the donor to show you the moisture sensitive dot on the back of the collector and ensure that it is solid blue, consistent from edge to edge, as per the display examples on the screen of the Druglizer.
With the moisture dot being solid blue, proceed with the test by taking the Collector from the Donor. Ensure the sponge does not encounter anything. (If the moisture dot is not a solid blue, advise the donor to repeat the saliva collection process for a further 10-15 seconds and repeat Step 6. Do this twice if necessary).
TIP - If the Dot does not turn a solid blue, discard the Collector, and allow the donor to rehydrate with standard drinking water. Wait 15 minutes and retest with a new Cartridge and Collector.
STEP 7. Insert the Collector at a 45° angle into the Cartridge inside the Druglizer and slowly lower the Collector down in a smooth motion until the collector clicks firmly into place (it cannot be removed easily once correctly attached).
TIP - if you see a slight pooling of saliva in the box around the collector sponge, this is a good sign that sufficient saliva has been collected.
STEP 8. The analysis will start shortly after the Collector has been inserted. The Druglizer unit must remain flat (horizontal) while analysing. An orientation sensor will sound an alert if the Druglizer is picked up and not lying horizontally during testing.
TIP - You have 20 seconds to return the Druglizer to horizontal before the test will be aborted.
STEP 9. The Druglizer will display “Analysing” within 15-30 seconds of the Collector being inserted into the cartridge. As the analysis commences an increasing time counter will be visible at the bottom of the Druglizer screen.
STEP 10. At approx. 90 seconds on the counter, the first test result should appear on the screen. The instrument is still analysing other drug classes, do not move the Druglizer until all expected drug classes have displayed a result on the screen, which typically takes 120-160 seconds.
A completed test will provide either a NEGATIVE result in green, or an UNCONFIRMED result in red.
TIP - The amount of time to complete a test varies from donor to donor based on their individual saliva. The Druglizer will display “INSUFFICIENT SALIVA” or an “INVALID' test result if there was not enough saliva collected. In which case, repeat the test process from step 2 with a new test cartridge.
STEP 11. Once all results are displayed, remove the Cartridge and (the attached) Collector from the top of the Druglizer as a complete unit, dispose of them appropriately.
The Druglizer screen will now return to the “Insert Cartridge” screen and is ready to perform another test.
