TY - JOUR T1 - Dipstick measurements of urine specific gravity are unreliable JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood JO - Arch Dis Child SP - 155 LP - 157 DO - 10.1136/adc.85.2.155 VL - 85 IS - 2 AU - A S de Buys Roessingh AU - A Drukker AU - J-P Guignard Y1 - 2001/08/01 UR - http://adc.bmj.com/content/85/2/155.abstract N2 - AIM To evaluate the reliability of dipstick measurements of urine specific gravity (U-SG).METHODS Fresh urine specimens were tested for urine pH and osmolality (U-pH, U-Osm) by a pH meter and an osmometer, and for U-SG by three different methods (refractometry, automatic readout of a dipstick (Clinitek-50), and (visual) change of colour of the dipstick).RESULTS The correlations between the visual U-SG dipstick measurements and U-SG determined by a refractometer and the comparison of Clinitek®-50 dipstick U-SG measurements with U-Osm were less than optimal, showing very wide scatter of values. Only the U-SG refractometer values and U-Osm had a good linear correlation. The tested dipstick was unreliable for the bedside determination of U-SG, even after correction for U-pH, as recommended by the manufacturer.CONCLUSIONS Among the bedside determinations, only refractometry gives reliable U-SG results. Dipstick U-SG measurements should be abandoned. ER -