24-Hour Urine Collection HF#4339

When you receive a 24-hour urine request slip from your doctor or clinic, please take it to a UWHC Outpatient Lab.  You will be given a plastic jug to collect and store your urine.  A preservative may be added to the jug.  Do not pour this out of the jug.  The jug will be labeled with instructions for how to collect your urine.

 

Please be careful to follow the instructions to collect a 24-hour urine sample.

 

• A preservative may be added to the jug.  Do not pour this out of the jug.
• It is very important to keep the urine refrigerated during the collection period and prior to delivery to the lab.

 

The jug should be labeled with instructions for how to collect your urine.

1. When you wake up on the day you start to collect your urine, urinate (void) into the toilet. Do not put this first urine in the jug.
2. Write the date and time that you voided this urine into the toilet on the label as the STARTING DATE/TIME.
3. During the next 24 hours, collect all of the urine you void into the jug.
4. When you wake up the next day (24hours after the time noted as the starting date/ time.), you will empty your bladder and add this urine to the urine in the jug.
5. Write the date and time of this void as the ENDING DATE/TIME on the label.

 

Make sure you wake up around the same time both days.  The starting and ending times must be about the same on both days (within one hour).  During the time you are saving your urine, store the jug in the refrigerator.  Put the jug inside a large plastic bag before you put it in the refrigerator.

 

The jug must be labeled with two different forms of identification.  Your full name and medical record number are preferred.  Your full name and date of birth are also okay.  Seal tightly and take the 24-hour urine jug to the Outpatient Lab at the hospital or any of the UWHC satellite clinics. See www.uwhealth.org/lab for sites.  When you deliver the specimen, the lab staff must double check the jug while you are present to ensure the jug is labeled correctly.

 

Your test results will be sent to your health care provider.  You will get the test results by phone, letter or at your next clinic visit.

 

Spanish Version #5767

The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Last Updated: 01/12/2012

Copyright © 01/12/2012 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#4339

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