Low-Cost, Volume-Controlled Dipstick Urinalysis for Home-Testing

Summary

Dipstick urinalysis is a quick and affordable method of assessing one’s personal state of health. We present a method to perform accurate, low-cost dipstick urinalysis that removes the primary sources of error associated with traditional dip-and-wipe protocols and is simple enough to be performed by lay users at home.

Abstract

Dipstick urinalysis provides quick and affordable estimations of multiple physiological conditions but requires good technique and training to use accurately. Manual performance of dipstick urinalysis relies on good human color vision, proper lighting control, and error-prone, time-sensitive comparisons to chart colors. By automating the key steps in the dipstick urinalysis test, potential sources of error can be eliminated, allowing self-testing at home. We describe the steps necessary to create a customizable device to perform automated urinalysis testing in any environment. The device is cheap to manufacture and simple to assemble. We describe the key steps involved in customizing it for the dipstick of choice and for customizing a mobile phone app to analyze the results. We demonstrate its use to perform urinalysis and discuss the critical measurements and fabrication steps necessary to ensure robust operation. We then compare the proposed method to the dip-and-wipe method, the gold standard technique for dipstick urinalysis.

Introduction

Urine is a non-invasive source of multiple metabolic indicators of disease or health. Urinalysis, the physical and/or chemical analysis of urine, can be performed quickly to detect renal disease, urinary tract disease, liver disease, diabetes mellitus, and general hydration¹. Urinalysis dipsticks are affordable, semi-quantitative diagnostic tools that rely on colorimetric changes to indicate approximate physiological levels. Each dipstick can perform a wide variety of assays including testing for pH, osmolality, hemoglobin/myoglobin, hematuria, leukocyte esterase, glucose, proteinuria, nitrite, ketone, and bilirubin². Th....

Protocol

1. Fabricate and assemble the urinalysis device

1. Fabricate the base plate (Figure 1A).
   1. Use a computer-aided design (CAD) software to draw a rectangular area with dimensions 2.1641 in x 0.0547 in x 6.3828 in (W x H x L) using the polyline tool.
   2. Measure the test area (rectangular area encompassing the distance between the first and last pad and the width of the pads) on the dipstick.
      NOTE: This information is needed to draw the through-holes that hold .......

Discussion

Traditional dipstick urinalysis is affordable and convenient but requires manual attention to detail to yield accurate results. Manual dipstick urinalysis is subject to variable lighting conditions, individual color perception differences and cross-contamination. Many clinics and hospitals already have instruments to automate urine dipstick analysis, but the instruments are usually bulky, expensive, and still rely on proper performance of the dip-wipe method. Additionally, these instruments require yearly calibration and.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Black Cast Acrylic Sheet 12" x 24" x 1/8"	McMaster Carr	8505K742	$14.27
Chart sticker	Stickeryou.com		$12.39
Clear Scratch- and UV-Resistant Cast Acrylic Sheet 12" x 24" x 1/16"	McMaster Carr	8560K172	$9.52
disposable polyethylene transfer pipet	Fischer Brand	13-711-9AM	lot# 14311021
Fortus ABS-M30	Stratasys	345-42207	lot# : 108078
Githut: https://github.com/Iftak/UrineTestApp
Innovating Science - Replacement Fluids for Urinalysis Diagnostic Test Kit (IS3008)	Amazon		$49
Nonwhitening Cement for Acrylic Scigrip 4, 4 oz. Can	MCM	7517A1	$9.22
Rust-Oleum 274232 Repelling treatment base coat-9 oz and top-coat 9-oz , Frosted Clear	Amazon	Color: Frosted Clear	$6.99
Urinalysis Reagent Strips 10 Panel (100 Tests) MISSION BRAND	Medimpex United, Inc	MUI-MS10	$10.59