The Influence of Postponing the Examination Period on the Results of Urinalysis of Urine Sediment in Patients with Suspected Urinary Tract Infections

Abstract

Urinalysis monitors kidney and urinary tract health. Accuracy in urinalysis stages is crucial for reliable results. However, delays in specimen analysis often affect this accuracy. This study investigates the impact of examination delays on Urine Sediment Urinalysis results (leukocytes, erythrocytes, and epithelium) in suspected Urinary Tract Infection patients. The employed research method is a static group comparison where the study participants are divided into two groups: the experimental group, which receives treatment, and the control group, which does not receive treatment. The treatment group consists of urine samples that are delayed for 2 hours and those that are delayed for 3 hours. Microscopic examination of urine sediment is conducted using the Shih-Yung method. The study showed average leukocyte counts at 1, 2, and 3 hours were 19.44/HPF, 18.78/HPF, and 17.67/HPF, respectively. Average erythrocyte counts at these times were 9.0/HPF, 8.56/HPF, and 7.89/HPF. Average epithelial cell counts were 11.56/LPF, 9.89/LPF, and 9.33/LPF. The Wilcoxon test indicated a significant effect (p<0.05) on urinalysis results between <1 hour and the 2-hour delay for erythrocyte sediment and epithelium. Urinalysis results for <1 hour were also significantly different (p<0.05) from the 3-hour delay for leukocytes, erythrocytes, and epithelium