Urine 24 Hour Collection

Much confusion exists about the proper way to collect a 24 hour urine specimen. The following protocol is recommended.

• 24 hour urine specimens should be started Sunday through Thursday.
• Instruct the patient to empty their bladder on the morning the collection is to start and to discard this urine.
• Collect all urine excreted during the next 24 hours into the urine collection container provided.
• If even one urine specimen is missed, the test should be stopped and restarted another morning.
• Exactly 24 hours after the collection was begun, the patient should empty their bladder for the last time into the container provided.
• The container should be delivered to the laboratory as soon as possible.