Glossary

AAMRO: the American Association of Medical Review Officers is a nationally recognized MRO certification board

Adverse Selection: a term used in economics and insurance that refers to a market process in which bad results occur due to information asymmetries between buyers and sellers: the "bad" products or customers are more likely to be selected

Anorexia: loss of appetite

Adulterant: a substance added to a urine specimen to mask drug usage

Auditory Distortion: abnormal interpretation of normal sound

Auditory Hallucination: hearing sounds or voices that do not actually exist

Blind Proficiency: A specimen submitted to a laboratory for quality control testing purposes, with a fictitious identifier, so that the laboratory cannot distinguish it from an employee specimen.

Cardiac Arrhythmia: irregular heart beat

Circulatory Collapse: A clinical syndrome in which the peripheral blood flow is inadequate to return sufficient blood to the heart for normal function

Chain of Custody: The procedure used to document the handling of the urine specimen from the time the employee gives the specimen to the collector until the specimen is destroyed. This procedure uses the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form (CCF).

Collection Site: A place selected by the employer where employees present themselves for the purpose of providing a specimen for a drug test.

Collector: A person who instructs and assists employees at a collection site, who receives and makes an initial inspection of the specimen provided by those employees, and who initiates and completes the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form (CCF).

Coma: an abnormally deep stupor caused by an illness or injury resulting in an inability to be aroused by external stimuli

Convulsion: spasms of involuntary muscular contractions and relaxations

Creatinine: a normal alkaline constituent of urine and blood

Drug Therapy Compliance: A service University Services provides to interpret results of a urinalysis to ensure patients are compliant with their prescribed medication. This is typically done for pain management insurance reporting.

Employee Assistance Plan: Employee benefit that covers all or part of the cost for employees to receive counseling, referrals, and advice in dealing with stressful issues in their lives.

Endogenous: produced or arising from a cell or organism

Exogenous: originating from outside the body

Euphoria: an exaggerated feeling of well-being

FTP: File Transfer Protocol is a common method of moving files between two Internet sites

GCMS: Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry is a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. Applications of GC-MS include drug detection. The GC-MS has been widely heralded as a “gold standard” for forensic substance identification because it is used to perform a specific test. A specific test positively identifies the actual presence of a particular substance in a given sample.

Gynecomastia: development of abnormally large breasts in a male

Hyperthermia: unusually high fever

Hypogonadism: shrinking of the gonad tissue resulting from hormonal changes which can be produced endogenously or exogenously

Immunoassay: A method of analysis based on antigen-antibody interactions, which allows for small concentrations of biologically active compounds to be measured accurately

Impotence: inability of the male to achieve or maintain an erection

MRO: the Medical Review Officer is a licensed physician who functions as an objective gatekeeper of laboratory test results, reviewing the documents for possible errors; interviewing donors who have non-negative results and determining if prescription medicine use or other alternative medical explanations clarify these results; and providing feedback to employers, collection sites, laboratories, and federal agency representatives regarding performance problems if necessary.

MROCC: the Medical Review Officer Certification Council is a nationally recognized MRO certification board

NIDA: the National Institute on Drug Abuse was established in 1974, and in October 1992 it became part of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. The Institute is organized into divisions and offices, each of which plays an important role in programs of drug abuse research.

Policy Development: University Services works with employers to create a drug testing policy that is cost-effective and efficient. We are well-versed in federal regulations and can help institute a policy that follows the appropriate guidelines.

Psychotic Reaction: A short-term, time-limited disorder exhibiting at least one of the major symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations, delusions, strange bodily movements or lack of movements (catatonic behavior), peculiar speech and bizarre or markedly inappropriate behavior

Pulmonary Edema: swelling of lung tissue

Randomization: Random sampling (collection) – The testing of employees who are chosen on a “neutral-selection” basis without advance notice. True random testing is conducted by pooling a selected amount of numbers determined by the client from the total number of qualified participants’ numbers in the random pool. University Services recommends that clients familiarize themselves with their state law; some states prohibit random testing while others restrict it to “safety sensitive” positions.

Respiratory Depression: slowing of the rate of breathing

SAMHSA: the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s mission is to build resilience and facilitate recovery for people with or at risk for substance abuse and mental illness.

Somnolence: prolonged drowsiness or a condition that may resemble a trance

Stupor: a state of lessened responsiveness

Substance Abuse Professional: A person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol regulation

Total Management: University Services can handle each aspect of an employee drug testing program; from billing, IT troubleshooting, online and hard copy reports & records, randomization, on-site training, and education.