Print  |  Email
Laboratory: Clinical Biochemistry
Test Name:
URINALYSIS - URINE DIPSTICK ONLY - (U)
Test Code: UR
Clinical Information:
Test Indications:  Dipstick urinalysis provides information about multiple physicochemical properties of urine to assess glucosuria, proteinuria, hematuria, leukocyturia and infection.The urine dipstick provides a rapid semiquantitative assessment of urine on a series of test pads embedded on a reagent strip to test for: Glucose, Bilirubin, Ketone, Specific Gravity, blood, pH, Protein, Urobilinogen, Nitrite and Leukocytes.
Recommendations:  Specimen must be transported to lab without delay. Urinalysis should be performed within 2 hours from time of voiding. Delayed in processing and prolonged exposure at room temperature may result in microbial contamination with changes in the pH and a shift to alkaline. Thus, this will cause false positive protein tests. Also, urine with glucose may decrease as growing microorganisms utilize the sugar. Bacterial growth will also cause false positive blood reactions. It is highly recommended that urine samples labeled with patient’s identifiers including recorded time of void by nursing staff, and are brought to the lab for processing in less than 2 hours from collection time to ensure reporting accurate results.
Patient Preparation Instructions:  Fresh random urine collected without preservative using "clean catch" method (Link to: Patient Instructions for Clean-Catch Midstream Urine Collection).
Clinical Information: No laboratory testing is required for healthy adult pre-menopasual, non-pregnant women presenting with symptoms and signs consistent with acute uncomplicated cystitis without a history of UTI or other infection.
 - The presence of pyuria (defined here as a positive urine dipstick for leukocyte esterase) should not be used to support a need for antimicrobial therapy in the absence of UTI symptoms.
Please refer to Clinical Practice Change issued regarding UTI investigation (https://sharedhealthmb.ca/health-providers/diagnostic-services/clinical-practice-changes/#38-328-clinical-biochemistry).
Collection Devices:
Specimen Required:
Urine: 10.0 mL
Pediatric Urine: 10.0 mL

Collection Information: When dipstick only (UR) is ordered, urine samples can be refrigerated and transported (with ice or cold packs) to testing laboratories in regular collection containers. Refrigerated urine specimens are stable for 24 hours. Please note that refrigerated samples are not suitable for microscopy.
 
If specimen is not likely to be received by testing lab in 2 hours at room temperature or 24 hours (refrigerated samples) then preservative tube should be used (BD Vacutainer TM Plus Plastic Conical Urinalysis Preservative Tube Catalogue #364992 with Urine Transfer Straws Cat # 364966).

Specimen Stability:
Ambient: 2 hours
Refrigerated: 24 hours
Stability of urine in preservative tube is 72 hours at 15 to 25 °C. DO NOT refrigerate urine samples before transferring to preservative tubes.
 
BD Vacutainer TM Plus Plastic Conical Urinalysis Preservative Tube Catalogue #364992 is the only approved preservative tubes for urinalysis by Shared Health Laboratories. Samples collected in other preservative tubes such as ones contain boric acid are not acceptable and will be rejected.
 
Referral:
Urine: 10.0 mL
Pediatric Urine: 10.0 mL
Requisition:
Reference Values:
Glucose               Negative
Bilirubin               Negative
Ketones               Negative
Specfic Gravity    1.005 - 1.030
Blood                   Negative
pH                        5.0 - 8.0
Protein                 Negative
Urobilinogen         3 - 16 micromol/L
Nitrate                  Negative
Leucocytes           Negative
Availability:
Daily or Stat
See Also:
More Information: