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Specimen Collection Manual: 24 Hour Urine, Outpatient/Outreach

Instructions

• The Outpatient Laboratory will prepare a specimen container with the collection information card attached. The phlebotomist will record the requested test(s).

• Outreach Client obtains 24 Hour Urine collection containers and collection information cards, shown below, from Beaumont Laboratory Client Services by filling out a supply requisition form.

Tests Requiring a Preservative:

For Royal Oak On-Campus Sites: The phlebotomist will notify the STAT Laboratory (248-89-80526) whenever a 24 Hour Urine container with preservative is needed. The STAT Laboratory tech will prepare the correct container for the phlebotomist to pick up. The tech will record the requested test(s) and dispense a preservative/safety label as required.

For Outreach Clients:  When requested by Client Services, the Urinalysis Laboratory staff will prepare containers with preservative, including name and appropriate safety label. 

• The patient is to receive a copy of the Instructions for Collection of 24 Hour Urine and the safety sheet Precautions for 24 Hour Urine Collections with Preservatives whenever any preservative is included in the specimen container. 

For Offsite PSC Locations: The 24 Hour urine container will be distributed from the Outreach supply department with a tag and the precaution sheet already attached to the container.

• For the containers requiring Boric Acid or Sodium Carbonate, the Outreach supply department will add these preservatives to the container.
• For any other preservative, the preservative will be added by the testing area. The label will be marked with the appropriate preservative and expiration date. The jug will be labeled with the 24 Hour Urine Collection Card.
• The patient is to receive a copy of the Instructions for Collection of a 24 Hour Urine and the safety sheet Precautions for 24 Hour Urine Collections with Preservatives whenever any preservative is included in the specimen container. 

 

• Test and patient information is to be recorded on the 24 Hour Urine Collection Card. The PATIENT is required to complete all information on the card, including patient name, collection begun/end time and date, and container number(s).
• The patient should empty his/her bladder when he/she gets up in the morning and discard this urine. Record this time and date on the card as the collection BEGUN time. The patient SHOULD NOT ingest any alcoholic beverages during the collection period.
• Save all urine passed during the day and the following night. Pour each sample at once into the collection container. Keep the containers refrigerated.
• The following morning, at the same hour that the test was started, the patient should make the final collection by emptying the bladder completely and adding this urine to the collection container. Record this time and date on the card as the collection END time.
• If only one container is used, fill in CONTAINER NO. 1 of 1 CONTAINERS. If a second container is necessary during the collection period, complete the second card completely and fill in the number of containers used for each specimen collected (eg. 1 of 2 and 2 of 2). 

• Beaumont Laboratory couriers will collect 24 Hour Urine containers from Outreach Client’s office and deliver to Beaumont Laboratory Processing.  The courier shall verify that the collection card is complete before removal from the client’s facility.  Specimens must be kept refrigerated or on ice prior to and during transport to Beaumont Laboratory.
• Beaumont Laboratory registration clerks will register the specimen, label with SOFT accession labels, and deliver the 24 Hour Urine container(s) to Automated Chemistry for further processing and testing.
• If more than one container is used, connect the containers together and deliver to Automated Chemistry at the same time.

• When collection is complete, the patient will return the container(s) to a Beaumont Laboratory Patient Service Center (PSC).
• Laboratory staff will verify the 24 Hour Urine Collection Card is completely filled out when the patient drops off the specimen.
• Laboratory staff at the PSC will order tests in SOFT and transport the specimen to the Processing department.
• If more than one container is used, connect the containers together and deliver to Processing at the same time.

PRECAUTIONS FOR 24 HOUR URINE COLLECTIONS WITH PRESERVATIVES

Depending on the test needed, the urine collection container may have a chemical inside to preserve the substance to be tested. If so, the name of the chemical will be on the container. If you or another member of your family should accidentally come in contact with the preservative, take the following actions. Because there is some hazard associated with these chemicals, keep the container out of the reach of children. The risk of injury from the chemical decreases as the container becomes filled with urine.

Hazards

Boric acid, hydrochloric acid, and sodium carbonate can irritate your skin and could be harmful to your eye. If swallowed, they could damage your esophagus or stomach. If you breathe in dust or fumes, they could be harmful to your lungs. Hydrochloric acid can also be absorbed through your skin.

Actions

• If you spill a powder (boric acid or sodium carbonate), sweep it up, discard into the trash and mop the area with water.
• If you spill a liquid (hydrochloric acid), wear rubber gloves and cover the spill with baking soda. Mix until there is no more bubbling, then mop up with water and discard down the drain. If baking soda is not available, mop up with water and then rinse the area thoroughly with water. Run water for five minutes after discarding down the drain.
• If you get any chemical on your skin, rinse well with tap water to remove it. Remove any contaminated clothing and rinse well with water. DO NOT add baking soda to hydrochloric acid on the skin or in the eye.
• If you splash chemical into your eye, rinse the eye with cool tap water for 15 minutes. Try to hold the upper and lower eyelid open while rinsing. Have the eye checked by a physician.
• If you breathe in dust or fumes, move to an area with fresh air. If breathing is difficult, seek medical attention.
• If a family member swallows any chemical, take the following actions and seek medical attention immediately:
  • Boric Acid: Induce vomiting. If the victim is conscious, give 2-4 cupfuls of milk or water.
  • Hydrochloric Acid: DO NOT induce vomiting. If the victim is conscious, give 2-4 cupfuls of milk or water.
  • Sodium Carbonate: DO NOT induce vomiting. If the victim is conscious, give large quantities of water.

Contacts

Last Updated

1/8/2020