Urine Culture Comprehensive

Urine Culture Comprehensive

Clean catch midstream collection. First morning specimens yield highest bacterial counts from overnight incubation in the bladder, and are the best specimens. Read Patient Preparation.

Patient should be instructed on the proper collection of a clean catch midstream urine specimen. Avoid contamination with normal flora from skin, rectum or vagina. If a clean catch urine cannot be obtained from an infant, obtain a bagged specimen: clean area as for a clean catch, attach U-bag, and put collected urine into a sterile container.

Clean catch specimen: Have patient urinate into a small clean disposable cup (styrofoam or “Dixie”). Afterward, collection site staff can transfer the urine to the urine culture transport tube using the special collection straw-puncture device designed for use with the Vacutainer® tubes. The numbers of bacteria in a clean unused cup are so few as to be inconsequential when the urine transport stabilizer is added. Thoroughly instruct patient for proper collection of a “clean catch” specimen. Patient must be instructed to thoroughly cleanse skin and collect a midstream specimen. The patient should be instructed to follow the directions provided with the urine collection kit as follows.

Male: Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. Rinse them well and dry with a paper towel.

• Tear open the towelette packages so that the towels can be easily removed with one hand as they are needed. Do not touch any of the inside surfaces of the collection cup.

• Pull back the foreskin to expose the head of the penis completely.

• Wash the head of the penis thoroughly using first one towelette then the other. Discard the used towelettes into the toilet bowl.

• Pass a small amount of urine into the toilet bowl, then pass a sample into the container. Do not allow the container to touch the legs or penis. Keep fingers away from the rim and inner surface of the container. Fill the container half full.

Female: Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. Rinse them well and dry with a paper towel.

• Tear open the towelette packages so that the towels can be easily removed with one hand as they are needed. Do not touch any of the inside surfaces of the collection cup.

• Remove undergarments and sit on the toilet seat with legs spread widely apart.

• With one hand, spread labia apart to expose the vulva. Keep this hand in place during the washing and urinating procedure.

• Use one towelette to wash the vulva well passing the towelette only from front to back, not back and forth. Repeat this procedure using the second towelette. Discard the used towelettes into the toilet bowl.

• Begin urinating into the toilet bowl then, without stopping the stream, insert the collection cup to collect the specimen. Do not allow the container to touch the legs, vulva, or clothing. Keep fingers away from the rim and inner surface of the container. Fill the container about half full.