When a young girl provides a urine specimen, have her sit backwards on the toilet after wiping with cleansing cloths.
When a young girl provides a urine specimen, have her sit backwards on the toilet after wiping with cleansing cloths. By spreading the legs further apart and changing the tilt of the pelvis, this position decreases the contact the urine has with the labial folds and thus reduces the chances of a contaminated sample. It is also effective in older girls and women and can be used whenever hip or mobility problems do not preclude the necessary hip abduction.
- Karla Giramonti, RN, MS, FNP
Albany, NY