Gram Stain Reading and Reporting Summary:
- View control smears under oil immersion. If the control smears are stained correctly, continue by reading the remainder of the smears.
- Look at the direct smear macroscopically to locate the stained area.
- Scan and examine at least 10 fields under low power.
- Examine at least 20 fields of the direct smear under oil immersion in an area that is properly decolorized.
- Identify the following nonbacterial cells, if present:
- epithelial cells
- white blood cells
- red blood cells
- yeast and hyphae.
- Look for bacterial microorganisms and record quantity and morphological characteristics.
- Report the direct smear findings according to your laboratory's reporting procedure.
