How to Help a Male Child Provide a Urine Sample

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For ages urine has been used to tell us about out health. Routine urine testing is frequently a part of well boy medical care and to diagnose illness or disease. In order to test urine for bacteria, a clean catch (otherwise known as midstream) sample is required. Specific procedures need to be followed to prevent foreign bacteria from contaminating the urine sample resulting in false test results. False positive test results are common and result in needless use of antibiotics or more invasive medical testing. Parents are the ones left to assist their sons with this.

Steps

1. Lay out a couple paper towels to provide a clean area to set the specimen cup, three wipes or other supplies. This should be easily reached from the toilet and not get splashed when washing hands.
   
2. Have or help your son pull down his pants/shorts and underwear. It is best to pull underwear down to at least his mid thighs.
   
3. Both of you should wash your hands. Even if you are collecting the sample, washing hands involves him in the process. Be sure to lather between fingers, both the front and back of hands all the way up to or above the wrists for 20 seconds. Rinse thoroughly. Turn off water using a paper towel to protect your clean hands. Avoid touching anything unnecessary such as the wall, your forehead, and so forth until done.
   
4. Open the specimen container. Place the inside of lid facing upward on the paper towel protected surface. Do not touch the inside of the lid or inside of the specimen container. It is best to keep your fingers away from the rim when handling the container.
   
5. Put on gloves if provided or you are instructed to do so.
   
6. If your son is not circumcised, gently retract his foreskin. Even some boys who have been circumcised need a bit of foreskin retraction. Be gentle. If his foreskin remains adhered to his glans penis, just gently slide it back as far as possible without tearing adhesions or causing pain.
   
7. Cleansing his urinary meatus (opening of his urethra where urine comes out) and the surrounding glans penis has been found to reduce false positive results. In addition to cleansing for providing a clean urine sample, he should be practicing good hygiene when toileting and bathing. Directions for cleansing him vary. Be sure to follow the directions provided to you.
   
8. Pick up one of the anti-bacterial wipes and make a stroke around the urethral opening (end of the penis) toward his stomach. Discard the wipe. Repeat this procedure with the one or two remaining antibacterial wipes, discarding each after one use.
   
9. Repeat using the wet wipe to rinse the penis.
   
10. Have you son stand facing the toilet or urinal. He may assist by aiming/holding his penis, if he understands that he is to start urinating in the toilet and not stop until the specimen cup has been removed from his stream. Otherwise you may need to assist by positioning/aiming for him; however, some boys do not need to specifically aim. Some boys may need to gently hold their foreskin back (it should remain retracted until the sample has been collected).
    
11. With specimen cup ready, have him start urinating (peeing) into the toilet. If he has difficulty, try turning on the water faucet.
    
12. After he has urinated a small amount, position the cup under the stream. He should continue to urinate (not stop and/or restart his stream). Hold the cup close enough so that the urine doesn’t splash, but not so close that his penis touches the cup. Moving the cup into his stream while he is peeing is a bit messy and your fingers may get wet.
    
13. Take the cup away when it's about 1/3 full to 2/3 full. Do not over flow. Again he should continue to pee while the cup is taken out of her stream. If the cup is even a 1/4 full and force of his stream lets up, remove the cup before he stops peeing.
    
14. Once the specimen cup has been removed, allow him to finish peeing in the toilet/urinal.
    
15. If his foreskin was retracted, it should be gently pulled forward.
    
16. Place the cover tightly on the specimen cup without touching the rim or inside of the lid. You may wipe off any urine from the outside of the cup. Set cup in safe place. Sometimes there is a special door so that you may leave the specimen from the lab to retrieve from the other side.
    
17. This is a great opportunity to have him look at the color of his urine. If it is dark in color, remind him that he needs to be drinking more water. If it is light or clear in color, praise him for drinking plenty of water.
    
18. Help him pull up pants and zip if needed.
    
19. Finally, both of you should wash your hands again. Don’t forget to take the urine sample if it needs to be turned in elsewhere.
    

Tips

• When assisting your son, help promote his independence. Assist as much as needed. Depending on his age and experience, he may need you to perform all steps listed or he may need you to give him some verbal direction.
  
• If your son’s foreskin has not separated from his glans penis, check with your health care provider for specific directions. Do not forcibly retract the foreskin! If there are no specific directions, make sure his bladder is full prior to taking the sample. Follow the directions above except only retract the foreskin up to the adhesions. Allow him pee at full force for a longer period of time prior to placing the specimen cup in his stream. This will help rinse the area under his foreskin.
  
• If collecting a urine sample at home and you do not have a specimen cup, boil a small glass jar and lid for 7-10 minutes. Allow the jar and lid to air dry in a clean place. Because of the heat it should dry rapidly. Do not dry it with a towel or paper towel. Be careful not to burn yourself.
  
• If collecting a urine sample at home and do not have antibacterial wipes, use wet paper towel pieces with several drops of anti bacterial soap. An additional clean wet paper towel piece could be used for rinsing.
  
• If collecting a urine sample at home, place it in a refrigerator or cool place until you can take it to the lab.
  

Things You'll Need

• 3 soapy wipes for cleansing
  
• 1 wet wipe for rinsing
  
• 1 sterile collection container (specimen cup)
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Help a Female Child Provide a Urine Sample
  

Sources and Citations

• http://www.co.gila.az.us/DepartmentFiles/Health/EnvironmentalHealth/Handwashing.pdf.
  
• http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/info/urinary/procedure/urine-culture-male.htm
  

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