How to collect a sputum sample
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Saliva is not sputum. A deep cough in the morning gives the best sample.
Step by step
Timing
Early morning, before eating. [1]
Rinse
Water only, no mouthwash. [1]
Protection
Mask, and an airborne room if TB is suspected. [2]
Deep cough
Several deep breaths, then a strong cough from the chest. [1]
Collect
Spit into the sterile cup without touching inside. [1]
Label and send
Promptly. [3]
Common errors
- Saliva instead of sputum.
- No protection for TB.
- Mouthwash before.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Anaphylaxis in a child
- Tuberculosis, contact with symptoms
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- COPD with pneumonia
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- HIV with Pneumocystis pneumonia
43 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- CDC, Guideline for Isolation Precautions (2007) and PPE sequence
- The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.