A urinalysis is an analysis of the urine. A doctor does a series of physical, microscopic, and chemical tests on a sample of urine. The tests can screen for kidney disease and infections of the urinary tract. It can also help diagnose diseases that produce abnormal breakdown products called metabolites that are passed from the body in the urine.

How is the test performed?

First, the person washes around the urethra, the tube that passes urine out of the body. This prevents contamination of the sample. Next, the person needs to collect a urine sample in midstream, that is, not at the beginning and not at the end. This is referred to as a clean-catch urine sample.

The person should follow these steps to get the sample. First, the person starts urinating into the toilet. Then, he or she catches a sample of urine in a container. Then the person may finish urinating in the toilet. The person then covers the container and gives it to the doctor.

The sample is sent to a laboratory for testing. The doctor may ask for any variety of physical, microscopic and chemical tests. It is best to do most tests within 15 minutes from the time the urine was collected.