Urine Culture Requested?Share Your Recent Antibiotic Details
Bladder & Pelvic FloorArticleKeep medicine history ready for the team requesting your test.

In this article
If your team requests a urine culture, share your current and recent antibiotic history. Gloucestershire Hospitals’ laboratory guidance lists current or recent antibiotic therapy, antibiotic allergies and pregnancy status among the information required with its requests.1
Keep a medicine note
Write down the exact antibiotic names, when you started and whether you are still taking them or have finished. Include any antibiotic allergies you have been told about. Tell the requesting team your pregnancy status and ask them to clarify anything uncertain.
Share the details with your team
Try: “These are my current and recent antibiotics and allergy details. What information do you need with my urine-culture request?”
If you cannot remember a medicine name, tell the team and ask how to check it. Do not postpone contacting them while trying to complete the notes.
Keep your team’s test instructions with the medicine history so you can refer to both during follow-up.
Laugh, Sneeze, Jump includes an appointment prep sheet. Use it to organize medicine details and questions for your clinical team. See the book.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It isn't a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional who knows your health history. Please don't ignore professional advice or delay getting care because of something you read here. If you think you may be having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. Girl Playbook does not endorse any specific product, test, or provider.
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Sources
The research behind this article, in the order it’s cited. How we source our articles.
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustMid-stream urine (MSU) microscopy & culture (uti cystitis) (opens in a new tab)↩
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