Last updated: 11/24/2009

A urine sample is collected in an unused disposable plastic cup with a tight-fitting lid. A randomly voided sample is suitable for routine urinalysis, although the urine that is first voided in the morning is preferable because it is the most concentrated....

The best sample for analysis is collected in a sterile container after the external genitalia have been cleansed using the midstream void (clean-catch) method. This sample may be cultured if the laboratory findings indicate bacteruria.

To collect a sample using the clean-catch method:

• Females should use a clean cotton ball moistened with lukewarm water (or antiseptic wipes provided with collection kits) to cleanse the external genital area before collecting a urine sample. To prevent contamination with menstrual blood, vaginal discharge, or germs from the external genitalia, they should release some urine before beginning to collect the sample.
• Males should use a piece of clean cotton moistened with lukewarm water or antiseptic wipes to cleanse the head of the penis and the urethral meatus (opening). Uncircumcised males should draw back the foreskin. After the area has been thoroughly cleansed, they should use the midstream void method to collect the sample.
• For infants, a parent or health care worker should cleanse the baby's outer genitalia and surrounding skin. A sterile collection bag should be attached to the child's genital area and left in place until he or she has urinated. It is important to not touch the inside of the bag, and to remove it as soon as a specimen has been obtained.

Urine samples can also be obtained via bladder catheterization, a procedure used to collect uncontaminated urine when the patient cannot void. A catheter is a thin flexible tube that a health care professional inserts through the urethra into the bladder to allow urine to flow out. To minimize the risk of infecting the patient's bladder with bacteria, many clinicians use a Robinson catheter, which is a plain rubber or latex tube that is removed as soon as the specimen is collected. If urine for culture is to be collected from an indwelling catheter, it should be aspirated (removed by suction) from the line using a syringe and not removed from the bag in order to avoid contamination.

Suprapubic bladder aspiration is a collection technique sometimes used to obtain urine from infants younger than six months or urine directly from the bladder for culture. The doctor withdraws urine from the bladder into a syringe through a needle inserted through the skin.