A 3-year-old child is visiting the pediatric clinic. The nurse suspect

A 3-year-old child is visiting the pediatric clinic. The nurse suspects that the child has a urinary tract infection. An appropriate method for the nurse to implement in order to obtain a urine specimen from the child is to:

1. Use an indwelling catheter
2. Offer fluids 30 minutes in advance
3. Apply pressure over the urinary bladder
4. Place a diaper on the child and squeeze out the specimen

ANSWER

ANS: 2
Offering the young child fluids 30 minutes before requesting a specimen may help. Because bladder catheterization carries the risk for UTI, blockage, and trauma to the urethra, it is prefera-ble to rely on other measures for specimen collection. Applying pressure over the urinary bladder of a child with an intact nervous system will not help and may create more stress in the child. Squeezing urine from a child’s diaper is not an accurate method of obtaining a urine specimen to determine whether the child has a urinary tract infection.