Comparison of urine culture and automated complete urinalysis device results: A multicenter study

Aim: The treatment approach of patients presenting to health centers with urinary tract complaints is closely related to the results of urinalysis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the consistency of complete urinalysis and urine culture results of patients admitted to *** and *** laboratories with similar complaints. Materials and Methods: Urine tests of 218.022 patients admitted to the biochemistry laboratories of both hospitals were performed with a Beckman iQ®200 automated urine analyzer and urine cultures were performed manually. Results: When all results were compared, urine culture and leukocyte count discordance was 11.42%, and urine culture and bacterial count discordance was 6.46%. When the diagnostic performance of the automated test was compared with culture results, leukocyte count was superior to bacterial count (leukocyte sensitivity: 91.75%; leukocyte specificity: 87.92%; bacterial sensitivity: 6.45%; bacterial specificity: 98.42%). Conclusions: When all data are compared, it is thought that test, device, and human factors affecting laboratory performances are important in the approach to patients presenting for urinalysis.