Obtaining Urine Specimen for Culture

As an HCA you may be asked to collect a urine specimen for testing. There are a variety of tests that can be completed on urine, and the type of test will determine how the urine is collected. Below are several types of urine tests and the accompanying procedures.

Routine Urine Specimen

This common urine specimen tests for blood, sugar, ketones, white blood cells and other substances in the urine. Adults with cognitive impairments may not be able to understand the need for peri-care prior to collection, which is needed for a mid-stream collection.

See Table 7.4.1 to learn the correct procedure for collecting a routine urine specimen.

Table 7.4.1 Procedure: Collecting a Routine Urine Specimen

STEP	ACTION	REASON
1.	Check the client’s care plan.	Ensures you have information specific to this client’s care.
2.	Perform hand hygiene.	Follows routine practices to prevent the spread of pathogens.
3.	Assemble equipment and supplies: bedpan, urinal or other specimen collection container label specimen container with lid supplies for peri-care if needed (washcloth, soap or peri-wash)
4.	Provide privacy for the client by closing doors and/or curtains.	Maintains the privacy and dignity of the client.
5.	Explain the procedure to the client.	Clients have a right to information about their care.
6.	Label the specimen container.	Ensures the correct test is performed on the correct client.
7.	Put on gloves.	Gloves are needed for contact with blood/body fluids.
8.	Assist client to void into urinal, bedpan, or specimen collection container. Do not put toilet paper into the container.	Avoids contamination of specimen (toilet paper will contaminate the specimen).
9.	Assist client as needed. Pour urine from bedpan, urinal or collection container into specimen container. Fill at least halfway (approximately 120 ml). Dispose of excess urine into toilet.
10.	Ensure lid is securely on container and container is labelled correctly. Store according to facility policy.	The urine specimen needs to be refrigerated if there is not a laboratory on site.
11.	Clean up supplies, remove gloves and perform hand hygiene.

Mid-Stream Urine Specimen

This type of specimen requires peri-care to be done prior to collecting the sample. The client is also instructed to void a small amount, then void again into the specimen collection container. This ensures that microorganisms from outside the body are not contaminating the specimen. This may be more difficult to obtain from clients who have cognitive impairment.

24-Hour Urine Specimen

A 24-hour urine specimen includes all urine voided over a 24-hour period. This may be ordered for measuring kidney function. A large container will be used to collect the urine over the time period.