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.