NHA Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)Clinical Patient CareMedium
A medical assistant is reinforcing teaching with a patient about collecting a 24-hour urine specimen. Which of the following instructions should the MA provide regarding the first void of the collection period?
- ADiscard the first void and then start the collection and timer.
- BCollect the first void, note the time, and add it to the final collection.
- CCollect the first void in the container and start the timer.
- DCollect the first void, refrigerate it, and add it to the main container later.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Discard the first void and then start the collection and timer.
For a 24-hour urine collection, the first void of the collection period is discarded to ensure that the collection begins with an empty bladder and accurately reflects urine produced over the subsequent 24 hours. The timer starts immediately after discarding this first void.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Collecting the first void and adding it later would contaminate the 24-hour collection with urine produced prior to the start time.
- C. Collecting the first void would include urine from before the collection period technically began, leading to inaccurate results.
- D. Refrigerating the first void and adding it later is incorrect; the first void is always discarded to establish the start of the collection.
24-Hour Urine Collection (First Void)
The instruction for handling the initial urine void at the beginning of a 24-hour urine collection period.
- Discard first morning void.
- Start timer immediately after discarding.
- Collect all subsequent urine for 24 hours.
Memory trick: 24-Hour Urine: Ditch the First, Collect the Rest!