- The medical professionals of the British Isles are trying to cut the stream of pee no one asked for.
Most people don’t enjoy having to give a urine sample at a doctor’s office. Still, it can be a vital diagnostic tool, so occasionally you just have to pee in a plastic container.
That said, you shouldn’t do that unless a doctor tells you to. And you certainly shouldn’t bring your homemade urine sample with you to the doctor’s.
It seems no one has taught the British that lesson.
The doctors of the U.K. have been struggling for years with people bringing pee to their appointments without anyone asking them to. Dealing with the unsolicited urine samples has taken so much time and resources that many practices have had to plead with their patients to stop bringing piss with them.
This issue recently resurfaced when a Scottish general practitioner was forced to put out a public notice. The Saltoun Surgery in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshite, has been drowned in what the practice’s manager described to The Times as a “tsunami of pee.”
Consequently, the practice recently posted its new pee handling guidelines on Facebook.
“Please be advised that we are no longer able to accept urine samples unless they have been specifically requested by the practice,” Saltoun Surgery wrote.
“This change is necessary due to the high volume of inappropriate or unsolicited samples being submitted, which affects our ability to provide timely care to all patients.”
This isn’t an isolated incident, either. For the last few years, practices all across the U.K. have been posting notices both at their facilities and online telling people that the staff will not accept impromptu urine samples from anyone.
In 2022, one health clinic in Stoke-on-Trent went so far as to directly text its patients. “Due to recent incidents, we will no longer be accepting unsolicited urine samples,” the message read.
A Senior Issue
But why are the Brits bringing unsolicited pee with them to the doctor’s? Well, according to medical staff dealing with the yellow flood, it’s often a misguided attempt to be helpful or make the appointment go smoother.
It seems that older folks, in particular, are arriving at medical offices with pee in tow. If they suspect they have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or are experiencing some other issues urinating, they are more likely to proactively empty their bladders in a container.
And it makes sense, right? If you’re having pee problems, the doctor will ask you for a urine sample, so you might as well save time and bring one with you.
At least you can pee in the comfort of your own bathroom.
Useless Pee
Of course, that’s not how it goes. There are multiple reasons why the homebrew urine sample is completely useless for medical diagnosis.
To begin with, some people have simply shown up with a cup of pee, handed it to the office staff, and gone home. Obviously, the doctors can’t do anything with just the urine sample.
Who does it belong to? What problems are they having? Is the sample even pee in the first place?
“We really, really want patients to speak to a clinician for a proper medical assessment before we ask them to bring a sample in,” an anonymous doctor emphasized.
But even if you did go see a medical professional, the pre-prepared urine sample is still a waste of effort. Or do you regularly sterilize your small plastic containers and keep them in a clean space?
No? Well, then the doctor might find the remains of last week’s leftovers floating around in your pee.
We probably don’t have to tell you why that makes accurately diagnosing your issues a bit challenging.
So, in either case, the practice staff are left to deal with an unnecessary biohazard. They’ll have to follow strict safety guidelines to dispose of the undesired pee, and that takes time and money.
With all that said, far be it from us to take away people’s liberty to prepare as many urine samples in their own homes as they wish. We’re just saying, don’t bring them to the doctor — or anyone else, for that matter.
Suppose it could be worse, though. At least the doctors didn’t have to ask people to stop showing up with venomous snakes.