Comparison of Two Cleaning Methods Intaking Urine Culture Samples in Children

Introduction: Urinary tract infection is one of the most prevalent bacterial infections among children. Difficulty in specimen collection and interpretation of improperly collected specimens may cause misdiagnosis of the urinary tract infection. In this study, it was aimed to compare the contamination ratio of urine specimens obtained after chlorhexidine or soap wipes cleaning. Materials and Methods: A total of 184 patients admitted to the hospital with the complaints like dysuria or urinary incontinence, hydronephrosis, horseshoe kidney, and recurrent urinary tract infection were included into the study. Patients were divided into two groups as specimens collected after cleaning with chlorhexidine (88) and soap wipes (96). Results: Escherichia coil was found as the most common pathogen in both groups. The ratio of contamination in urine culture for cleaning with chlorhexidine and soap were found as 21% and 29% respectively; hence, no significant difference in contamination rates was detected statistically (p= 0.3). The contamination ratio was found as 25.5% when both groups were evaluated together. Conclusion: Reducing contamination rate is vital regarding the repetition of tests, costs and time. Considering the fact that no significant difference in contamination rates was found in our study, both methods may be used in cleaning; however, since obtaining soap and water is cheaper and easier, we concluded that cleaning with soap wipes should be preferred.