Obtaining Urine Specimen for Culture

Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN)

If a small amount of a fresh urine is needed for specimen collection for urinalysis or culture, aspirate the urine from the needleless sampling port with a sterile syringe after cleansing the port with a disinfectant.[1] See the “Checklist for Obtaining a Urine Specimen from a Foley Catheter” for more detailed instructions. Do not collect the urine that is already in the collection bag because it is contaminated and will lead to an erroneous test result.


  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, November 15). Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/cauti/

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