Table 1. Analysis of Patients’ Urines with Rapignost and N-Multlstix

glucose 500 mg/L, acetoacetate 80 mgfL, bilirubin8 mg/L, hemoglobin 0.4mg/L, nitrite1 mg/L, and ascorbic acid 100 mgfL. The testsforproteinand ketones were more sensitive than the manufacLurer claims, throughout the range of concentrations studied, but for other analytes the expected results were obtamed. Abnormal urines submitted for unnalysis were collected, randomized, and analyzed with N-Multistix by one technologist, then rerandomized and analyzed with Rapignost by a second technologist. Results for 300 patients’ urines, shown in Table 1, indicate that the two multi-test reagent strips are generally comparable except that Rapignost is more sensitive to protein and glucose than N-Multistix and less sensitive to ketones, bilirubin, and blood. To examine the role of individual technologist variation in test performance and to subjectively assess the acceptability of Rapignost, we asked 20 trained nursing or diagnostic laboratory staff routinely involved in urinalysis each to assay with both dipsticks a contrived urine sample that contained all constituents at or near the lower limit of detection with either dipstick. The resuits confirmed the findings that Rapignost was more sensitive to protein and glucose than N-Multistix but less sensitive to ketones, bilirubin, and blood. Neither dipstick was particularly preferred over the other by the analysts. From this comparison of Rapignost and N-Multistix and from our earlier studies (1 ), we conclude that each of the dipsticks marketed has specific advantages. It is unlikely that patient care would be adversely affected by preferential use of any particular product.