A urine test is a simple test to screen or investigate for a range of conditions such as infection, kidney problems, glucose and ketones in the urine.
Common urine tests include:
- Midstream urine
- 24 hour urine
- Chlamydia urine
Midstream urine test
A midstream urine test is used for most urinalysis and when a culture is needed to look for urinary infections. This means the middle part of the urinary flow is collected into a clean container for testing. Each laboratory will give you instructions of how this needs to be done.
Examples of instruction sheets for NZ regions include:
- Northland, Northland Pathology
- Auckland, Labtests
- Wellington Aotea Pathology
- Southern Community Laboratories
There are several phases to examining a urine test. These are:
- Visual examination. By looking at the colour, clarity (cloudy or clear) and concentration, key information can be learnt.
- Chemical examination. Dip sticks, contain small squares of reactants and can test for glucose, ketones, drugs, protein, red blood cells, and more.
- Microscopic examination. By looking at the urine under the microscope, one can count the type of cells, look for casts, crystals, bacteria and mucus.
- Culture. If the dip stick test suggests infection is possible, the urine is cultured to see if any bacteria grow.
The first two phases are often completed in a doctor or nurse's office when you present with symptoms of possible urine infection, kidney problems or as part of a routine checkup. If these phases show any positive results, then a sample is sent to the laboratory for culture and/or microscopy. It is common for a doctor or nurse to do the first two phases in The first two phases of urinalysis may be completed in the laboratory or doctor's office. A microscopic examination is then performed if there is an abnormal finding on the visual or chemical examination, or if the doctor specifically orders it.
Specimen collection instructions in other languages
A range of brief instructions sheets for collecting various laboratory specimens have been created by Aotea Pathology.
- Afrikaans
- Arabic
- Chinese - Simplified
- Chinese - Traditional
- English
- Filipino
- Fijian
- Hindi
- Māori
- Samoan
- Somali
Learn more
Urinalysis Lab Tests Online
Urine dipstick analysis Patient.co.uk