If a patient voids two hours after an order for a 24-hour urine collection, what should be done with that first urine?

In the context of a 24-hour urine collection, the initial urine that the patient voids after the collection order is issued should be discarded. This is because the collection begins only after the initial voiding. The purpose of discarding this first urine is to ensure that the collected sample accurately represents the entire 24-hour period without any interference from urine that may have been produced before the collection officially began.

Starting the collection after discarding the initial void ensures that all subsequent urine collected over the following 24 hours is included in the analysis, providing accurate values for parameters being measured. It is essential for maintaining the integrity of the test and obtaining reliable results. Thus, after discarding the first void, the patient can then continue to collect every subsequent void over the next 24 hours.