The place of routine urine testing on admission to hospital

An audit of routine urine testing by dipsticks at a large private provincial hospital analysed 2294 patient records. No result was recorded in 12% of records. Abnormal but expected results were obtained in 9% of cases. Of the 4% of unexpectedly abnormal results, in only one‐third of patients was the attending practitioner aware of these results and, in fewer than one‐fifth of the patients, were further diagnostic tests performed. In not one case was treatment altered.