A nurse is teaching an adolescent about the procedure for completing a 24-hr urine test. Which of the following statements by the adolescent indicates an understanding of the teaching?
Explanation & Rationale
A. "I will include toilet paper that falls into the urine as part of the collected sample.": Contamination of the urine specimen with toilet paper or other foreign material can alter test results and compromise accuracy. The collection container should receive urine only, and any contaminated sample should be discarded and reported. B. "I will throw out my first urine sample when I start the urine collection.": A 24-hour urine collection begins after discarding the first void to ensure the bladder is empty at the start time. All urine produced after that point, including the final void at 24 hours, is collected to provide an accurate measurement. C. "I can stop the urine test earlier than 24 hours if I fill up the collection container.": Stopping the collection early results in incomplete data and invalid test results. If the container becomes full, an additional container should be obtained so the full 24-hour collection can be completed. D. "I can discard urine while I am at school if I keep track of the number of times I void.": Every void during the 24-hour period must be collected regardless of location. Missing any urine output makes the test inaccurate, even if the number of voids is recorded.