Which of the following specimens is NOT used for a waived POC test?

• A. Urine
• B. Whole blood
• C. Plasma
• D. Eye fluid

Answer: (D)

The skill being tested is recognizing which specimen types are typically used with waived point-of-care tests. In this category, common specimens include urine and blood-derived samples because they’re easy to collect quickly and work with a wide range of simple, rapid assays. Urine is especially common for tests like pregnancy or drug screens, while whole blood is used for fingerstick glucose meters and some immunoassays. In some cases, plasma can be used when the test is designed to run on that matrix, particularly for certain immunoassay formats.

Eye fluid, on the other hand, is not a standard specimen type for waived POCT. There are far fewer rapid, approved tests that use tear or ocular fluid, and those that exist are not part of the typical waived test menu. The collection and handling of eye fluid also pose different challenges and risks that aren’t aligned with the simplicity and low-risk profile characteristic of waived tests.

So the specimen that does not fit the usual waived POCT practice is eye fluid.