Patient Specimen Collection Instructions - 24-hour Urine Specimens

Your physician has requested a test (s) that requires you to collect all urine for a 24-hour period for submission to the laboratory for testing. It is important that you follow these instructions carefully to ensure that the test results are as accurate as possible. If you should miss collecting any urine into the container during the 24-hour period, you should discard the entire specimen and start over using a new collection container. To ensure the integrity of the specimen, you must collect urine into the specific urine collection container given to you. Contact Lab Client Services (800-695-6491) if an additional container is needed.

1. On the beginning of the day of collection, when you rise in the morning, note the time and empty your bladder into the toilet as usual. (Do not save this first urine in the collection container.)
   
   
2. Begin collecting every urine specimen thereafter. The container may contain a liquid or tablet preservative in the bottom. Keep the container cold, on ice, in the bathroom or in your refrigerator during the collection until it is delivered to the laboratory or your doctor's office.
   
   
3. It is important to collect ALL urine for the 24-hour period. If you get up during the night, be sure to add the urine to the container. Your physician needs a total volume and all specimens to ensure accurate results.
   
   
4. When you rise in the morning of the second day, collect this specimen into the container as the last specimen of the collection period. Try to arise at approximately the same time as the previous day to reflect collection for a full 24 hours.
   
   EXAMPLE: If you start the collection at 8 a.m. on Monday morning, the last collection should be approximately 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
   
   
5. Label the container with your first and last name, as well as the start and end times and dates for the collection. Keep the container cold and deliver to the your doctor's office or the laboratory as soon as possible, preferably on the day the collection is complete.