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Pre‐procedural considerations

Equipment

Specimen jars for urine collection must be sterile to ensure no contamination occurs, as this may lead to an incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. The jar must close securely to prevent leakage of the sample and have a CE marking (PHE [190]) (see Figure 13.2).

Specific patient preparation

When collecting an MSU, the patient must pass a small amount of urine before collecting the specimen. This reduces the risk of contamination of the specimen with naturally occurring micro‐organisms and/or flora within the urethra. Periurethral cleansing is recommended although the need for this has been questioned in both men and women as its effectiveness has been debated (PHE [190], Saint and Lipsky [218]).
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