title: Understanding urine testing.
abstract: Urine is a natural waste product of the body and urine testing is a simple and quick way of monitoring disease and identifying new illness. The results from a urine test can prompt a change in a patient's medical management. Urine testing is not a new procedure: as far back as the ancient Egyptians there are descriptions of polyuria. In 7th Century AD, Protosharis suggested that it was important to look at the colour of urine and by 1674 Thomas Willis, a professor at Oxford University, recorded that the urine of his patients with diabetes tasted sweet (Beer, 1996).
authors.affiliation: Bristol South and West Primary Care Trust.
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rigby
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011934:Reagent Strips; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D013997:Time Factors; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D014556:Urine / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D011934:Reagent Strips