Procedure
Urine
- 3 complete, early morning (first passed) urine specimens are to be collected on 3 consecutive days. A 250ml sterile container is provided for each collection.
- Refrigerate all specimens and bring all 3 specimens to an Australian Clinical Laboratories Collection Centre on the third day.
- Number and date each collection on the containers.
- Write your surname, first given name and date of birth on each container.
Sputum
Sputum is a fluid from the lungs that often contains pus and could be of a thick consistency.
- 3 early morning sputum samples are to be collected on each of 3 consecutive days into 70ml sterile, yellow top containers.
- A deeply coughed sputum sample must be obtained. Saliva only is not acceptable. Saliva is a clear fluid from the mouth.
- Early morning specimens are preferred to avoid food contamination, but are not essential.
- Number and date each collection on the container.
- Write your surname, first given name and date of birth on each container.
- Refrigerate all the specimens and bring all 3 specimens to an Australian Clinical Laboratories Collection Centre on the third day.
Equipment
Urine:
- 3x 250ml Sterile Containers
Sputum:
- 3x 70ml Yellow-top Containers
Note:
Take care to ensure that the lids of all urine or sputum containers are threaded correctly and tightly closed before delivery to an Australian Clinical Labs Collection Centre.
The collection staff are required to check your details (surname, first given name, date of birth and date and time of collection on the container label) against the pathology request form to ensure the sample is matched to the doctor’s request. This is done to ensure the safety and security of reporting your test results.