Which statement describes a 24-hour urine collection?

Which statement describes a 24-hour urine collection?

• A. It requires sterile technique and catheterization.
• B. It measures urine color every hour.
• C. It evaluates kidney function by collecting urine over a full day and preserving all urine.
• D. It uses a very small container.

Answer: (C)

The essential idea is that a 24-hour urine collection measures what the kidneys excrete over a full day, so every drop of urine produced during that period must be gathered and kept preserved. This typically means starting with an empty bladder, beginning the collection, and saving all urine for the next 24 hours, with proper refrigeration or preservative to prevent changes in the sample. That’s why the correct statement describes evaluating kidney function by collecting urine over a full day and preserving all of it. The other options don’t fit because a 24-hour collection doesn’t require sterile technique or catheterization, which are used for certain invasive or strictly sterile samples. It isn’t about checking urine color hourly, and a very small container wouldn’t allow capturing all urine over a day.

The essential idea is that a 24-hour urine collection measures what the kidneys excrete over a full day, so every drop of urine produced during that period must be gathered and kept preserved. This typically means starting with an empty bladder, beginning the collection, and saving all urine for the next 24 hours, with proper refrigeration or preservative to prevent changes in the sample. That’s why the correct statement describes evaluating kidney function by collecting urine over a full day and preserving all of it.

The other options don’t fit because a 24-hour collection doesn’t require sterile technique or catheterization, which are used for certain invasive or strictly sterile samples. It isn’t about checking urine color hourly, and a very small container wouldn’t allow capturing all urine over a day.