PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Urinary Tract Infections: Screening (27 March 2019)

The phrase global or gold standard test is sometimes used to refer to dipstick strip, which are available in home kits, and urine culture tests for urinary tract infection (UTI). The way in which laboratories determine if a UTI is present involves screening tests to look for human cells/blood/protein in the urine, which can be done by machines or using dipsticks, followed by culturing urine to determine if UTI pathogens are present and in sufficient numbers. This second stage process relies on bacterial media/culture techniques and is usually not a specific ‘kit’. If a pathogen is present then the third stage is to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of the bacteria.

Guidance on identification and treatment of UTI has been published for different age groups and clinical settings. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have published guidance for under 16s at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg54