Collecting a catheter specimen of urine

A catheter specimen of urine is taken for bacteriological examination when there are symptoms of a urinary tract infection. It is an aseptic technique, to reduce the risk of contaminating the sample. Urine should be obtained from a specific port on the drainage bag – never by disconnecting the closed circuit. Nurses need to familiarize themselves with the sampling ports on the drainage ports.

Equipment:
20 ml syringe
21G needle
Universal container
Gate clamp
Microbiology form
Alcohol swabs
Receiver
Gloves
Apron
Sharps box

Procedure	Rationale
Explain to the client why the specimen is required, and provide privacy	To gain co-operation, obtain consent and respect dignity
Clamp the drainage tubing just below the sampling port until sufficient urine is collected	To achieve sufficient urine for analysis
Never clamp the catheter	May damage the catheter
Collect equipment	Organization of equipment helps the procedure to run smoothly
Wash hands and put on gloves	To minimize the risk of contamination
Swab the sample port with a 70 per cent alcohol swab and allow the port to dry	To reduce the risk of infection
Insert the needle into the port at an angle of 45 degrees	To avoid going straight through the tube and therefore increasing the risk of needlestick injury
If no needle is required, insert the syringe firmly into the centre of the sample port and continue	Follows recommendations of manufacturer
Withdraw the required amount of urine. Remove the needle from the port. Remove the top of the specimen pot and fill it with urine	To obtain specimen
Dispose of needle and syringe immediately in a sharps box	To reduce the risk of needlestick injury
Swab the sample port with a 70 per cent alcohol swab and allow the port to dry	To reduce the risk of infection
Unclamp the catheter, remove gloves and dispose of equipment safely. Wash hands and make the client comfortable	To reduce the risk of injury and infection
Label the specimen container and transfer it to the laboratory with the request form	For identification of the client
Specimens should be transferred within one hour of sampling whenever possible	If transfer is delayed then specimens should be stored in a refrigerator at 4oC. Storing them at room temperature for longer than two hours will affect the result
Document in the client’s nursing records the date and time that the specimen was collected	To communicate this information to others