Collection Instructions

Voided Culture:

Vagina – Squat over the toilet and use the fingers of one hand to separate and hold open the folds of the skin in the genital area. Clean the urinary opening and surrounding area with a cleansing towelette, moving from front to back. Repeat the process using a second towelette, then continue collection detailed below.

Penis – If uncircumcised, draw back the foreskin before cleansing. Clean the tip of the penis using a cleansing towelette, beginning at the tip and moving towards the base. Repeat the cleansing process using a second towelette then continue collection detailed below.

After cleansing, pass a small amount of urine into the toilet and then move the sterile container into the path of the voiding urine. Do not instruct your patient to halt and restart the urinary system for a “midstream” collection. Replace the lid and tighten firmly. Wipe any visible moisture off outside of container. Wash and dry hands thoroughly

Straight Catheter:

This procedure is performed aseptically by a physician or a trained health care worker. Discard the initial 15-30 ml of urine and submit the next flow.

Indwelling Catheter:

Clean catheter port with alcohol. Use a needle and syringe to collect urine through port. An alternate method is to collect sample directly into a Vacutainer tube without anticoagulant (red top) using a Vacutainer holder and needle.