Evaluation of a dip-slide in a university outpatient service.
Initial and followup urine specimens from patients in an outpatient service of a university hospital with the diagnosis of presumptive urinary tract infection were processed by the dip-slide system and the conventional calibrated loop procedure. Evaluation of the dip-slide system included not only microbiological  comparison but also the feasibility  of the adaptation of this system to a clinic working area. Complete microbiological agreement between the 2 methods was approximately 50 per cent. Disagreement was caused largely by improper inoculation, quantitation and interpretation of the dip-slide. It has been our experience that the dip-slide cannot be used effectively as a screening tool in a population with a high incidence of urinary tract infection. The use of laboratory personnel along with proper specimen collecting instructions increased the reliability of the dip-slide system. Our data suggest that the results obtained should be evaluated carefully along with the clinical impression in complicated cases of urinary tract infections.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000175:diagnosis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010414:Pennsylvania; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*