3 Day Urine Collection
Introduction
Your doctor has requested that you provide a 3 day urine collection which means that all urine you pass in a 3 day period must be collected. The passing of various substances in urine varies throughout the day and night, as well as from day to day, so a long collection is necessary in order to provide accurate and meaningful results to your doctor.
Please read these instructions carefully before starting your collection.
Beginning Your Collection
You have been provided with three 5 litre collection bottles. We cannot accept samples which have been collected into any kind of alternative container (even water bottles). If you think that a single container per 24 hour will not be enough, please ask for extra empty containers when you pick up the containers.
You may start the collection at any time of the day or night, so long as you finish the collection three days later at the same time as you started the collection. The following instructions assume that you start the collection at 7am.
Performing Your Collection
Day One
At 7am, empty your bladder completely into the toilet - do NOT collect this first urine. This must be done whether or not you feel the need. This is the start time of your collection. Note this time and date on the bottle marked “Day 1”. All further urine passed throughout the day and night should be collected in the container provided (ie morning, afternoon, evening and in the night).
If you fill the first bottle, use a second one, ensuring that it is also marked “Day 1”.
The following day at 7am (or whatever time you started the collection), empty your bladder completely, whether or not you feel the need, and add this specimen to the collection bottle marked “Day 1”. This is the finish time of your first collection. Note this time and date on the bottle.
Day Two
Note the time and date on the collection bottle marked “day 2”. Collect all the urine that you pass on the second day into this collection bottle.
At 7am on the following day (the third day), empty your bladder completely, whether or not you feel the need, and add this specimen to the collection bottle marked “Day 2”. If you fill the first bottle, use a second one, ensuring that it is also marked “Day 2”. This is the finish time of your second collection. Note this time and date on the bottle.
Day Three
Note the time and date on the collection bottle marked “day 3”. Collect all the urine that you pass on the third day into this collection bottle.
At 7am on the following day (the fourth day), empty your bladder completely, whether or not you feel the need, and add this specimen to the collection bottle marked “Day 3”. If you fill the first bottle, use a second one, ensuring that it is also marked “Day 3”. This is the finish time of your third and final collection. Note this time and date on the bottle.
Completing Your Collection
Make sure you write your name, date of birth, date and times of collection on the bottle label in the spaces provided on all three bottles.
If you don’t complete the labels on the bottles, we will not be sure who the collection belongs to and we may not be able to test your collection. Make sure you have the request form that your doctor gave you. Keep it with your collection and hand it in with your collection when you return it for analysis.
Please drop off your collection as soon as possible once you have completed it, and ideally within 24 hours. It is okay to bring in all three collections together after you finish them, or you can bring them in one at a time if it is more convenient. Try to avoid exposing your collection to extreme temperatures (e.g. next to a radiator or in a hot car), and keep it out of direct sunlight.
After Your Collection
If you have been instructed to return your collection to the GP surgery, please do so. Otherwise, you can drop your collection off at one of our laboratories.
Our opening times are:
Frimley Park Hospital
Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm
Sunday 9am – 1pm
Heatherwood Hospital
Monday—Friday 8:30am—4pm
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Monday—Friday 7:30am—4:45pm
Royal Surrey County Hospital
Monday – Friday 8am – 5:30pm
Saturday – Sunday 8:30am – 12:30pm
St Peters Hospital
Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm
Saturday – Sunday 8am – 2pm
Wexham Park Hospital
Monday – Friday 7:30am – 4:30pm
Our Laboratories
Blood Sciences Department Surrey Pathology Services
Frimley Park Hospital Portsmouth Road, Frimley GU16 7UJ
Royal Berkshire Hospital Craven Road, Reading RG1 5AN
Royal Surrey County Hospital Egerton Road, Guildford GU2 7XX
St Peters Hospital Guildford Road, Chertsey KT16 0PZ
Wexham Park Hospital Wexham, Slough SL2 4HL
Useful Contact Numbers
If you would like to learn more about this test, or any other test that your doctor has ordered, you can visit LabTestsOnLine which is a free resource created and updated by laboratory professionals for patients:
http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/
For enquiries please contact our Help Line: Surrey: 01276 604595 Berkshire: 0800 0327 105
Biochemistry - Patient Information For 3 Day Urine Collection
