When you have symptoms of a UTI it will be important for your doctor to be able to identify the type of bacteria that is causing the problem. To do this, you need to collect a clean sample of urine. A clean sample means a sample that is free from contamination by bacteria that may be in the environment outside your bladder.
How to collect a clean specimen
- Wash or disinfect your hands
- Open the specimen container.
For intermittent catheters
- Perform a catheter as normal and collect approximately 30 mL of urine in the specimen container
- Be sure not to touch the inside of the specimen container.
For IDC/SPC
- If possible, change your catheter and immediately collect urine from the newly inserted catheter
- Collect approximately 30mL of urine
- If it is not possible to change your catheter then you’ll need to collect a specimen from the current catheter. Do not take a sample from a drainage bag unless the bag is a brand new one.
