Question

A bacterial culture needs to be performed on a collected urine specimen. Which of the following instructions best describe what your patient should do? a. Collect a midday specimen in a sterile cup.

b. Void a specimen midstream in a sterile cup.
c. Collect a 24-hour specimen.
d. Void the entire specimen in a sterile cup.
e. Void a specimen midstream in a clean cup.

Answer 1

The correct procedure for a patient to collect a urine sample for a bacterial culture is to void a specimen midstream into a sterile cup, following the 'clean catch' method to minimize contamination.

Step-by-step explanation:

To ensure an accurate diagnosis of a urinary tract infection, patients must collect a proper urine specimen. The correct method for a patient to collect a urine sample for a bacterial culture is to void a specimen midstream in a sterile cup. This is often referred to as the 'clean catch' method. The procedure involves cleaning the genital area before starting to urinate, and after releasing a small amount of urine, the patient then catches the midstream of urine in the sterile cup. The purpose of discarding the initial stream is to reduce contamination from the normal microbiota present at the beginning of the urinary stream. It is important that the patient does not touch the inside of the cup or lid to maintain sterility.