Artificial Urine for Teaching Urinalysis Concepts and Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in the Medical Microbiology Laboratory †
-
Authors:
Latifa B. Khan1,
Hannah M. Read1,2,
Stephen R. Ritchie1,*,
Thomas Proft1,2,*
-
Received 28 March 2017 Accepted 16 June 2017 Published 01 September 2017
- ©2017 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology
-
[open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
-
†Supplemental materials available at http://asmscience.org/jmbe
- *Corresponding authors. Mailing address: School of Medical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. Phone +64-9-373-7599. E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected].
Abstract:
Dipstick urinalysis is an informative, quick, cost-effective and non-invasive diagnostic tool that is useful in clinical practice for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney diseases, and diabetes. We used dipstick urinalysis as a hands-on microbiology laboratory exercise to reinforce student learning about UTIs with a particular focus on cystitis, which is a common bacterial infection. To avoid exposure to potentially contaminated human urine samples, we prepared artificial urine using easily acquired and affordable ingredients, which allowed less-experienced students to perform urinalysis without the risk of exposure to pathogenic organisms and ensured reliable availability of the urine samples. This practical class taught medical students how to use urinalysis data in conjunction with medical history to diagnose diseases from urine samples and to determine a treatment plan for clinical scenarios.
References & Citations
Supplemental Material
-
Appendix 1: Faculty instructions, Appendix 2: Student instructions, Appendix 3: Student assessment
-
MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.
-
PDF
961.96 Kb
-
PDF
-

Article metrics loading...
Abstract:
Dipstick urinalysis is an informative, quick, cost-effective and non-invasive diagnostic tool that is useful in clinical practice for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney diseases, and diabetes. We used dipstick urinalysis as a hands-on microbiology laboratory exercise to reinforce student learning about UTIs with a particular focus on cystitis, which is a common bacterial infection. To avoid exposure to potentially contaminated human urine samples, we prepared artificial urine using easily acquired and affordable ingredients, which allowed less-experienced students to perform urinalysis without the risk of exposure to pathogenic organisms and ensured reliable availability of the urine samples. This practical class taught medical students how to use urinalysis data in conjunction with medical history to diagnose diseases from urine samples and to determine a treatment plan for clinical scenarios.

Full text loading...
Author and Article Information
-
Received 28 March 2017 Accepted 16 June 2017 Published 01 September 2017
- ©2017 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology
-
[open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
-
†Supplemental materials available at http://asmscience.org/jmbe
- *Corresponding authors. Mailing address: School of Medical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. Phone +64-9-373-7599. E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected].
Figures
Student materials: 10 mL each of Case A and Case B artificial urine samples, a timer, COMBUR-7 TEST strips, paper towel, and a discard jar for used strips.

Click to view
FIGURE 1
Student materials: 10 mL each of Case A and Case B artificial urine samples, a timer, COMBUR-7 TEST strips, paper towel, and a discard jar for used strips.
COMBUR-7 TEST strips dipped in artificial urine samples for Case A and Case B.

Click to view
FIGURE 2
COMBUR-7 TEST strips dipped in artificial urine samples for Case A and Case B.