Method of Urinalysis The routine urinalysis is a quick and relatively inexpensive test which can be readily performed in a modest clinical laboratory. The results are useful in a variety of situations not limited to those directly involving the urinary tract. Required equipment and materials include: microscope, clinical centrifuge, refractometer, and multiple reagent dipsticks. An outline of the procedure: Refrigerated urine should always be brought to room temperature before testing. Observations of color and turbidity are made on the well-mixed urine specimen. The multireagent dipstick should be used in well-mixed "whole" urine. Follow manufacturer's directions on storage and use of the reagents. The package insert also contains useful information about test limitations and interfering substances. The specific gravity should be read on the refractometer using the urine supernatant. The sediment is prepared by resuspending the pellet in a small amount of urine. A drop of the suspension is examined microscopically as an unstained, coverslipped wet-mount. Subdued lighting is necessary to increase refractility of the unstained urine elements (lower condenser and / or close down the substage iris diaphragm).