Mehiläinen Töölö · Helsinki
Assessment of urinary symptoms
Burning when passing urine or needing to go more often? I assess whether you need a urine sample, an in-person examination or a remote consultation.
Fever, flank pain or clearly worsening general health needs urgent assessment today.
Care route
Where should I seek care?
Urgency comes first. Urine testing and the consultation type are separate decisions.
Book an appointment
- Burning or frequent urination without fever or flank pain.
- A urine culture is needed if the symptom-based assessment criteria below are not met. The need for an in-person examination is assessed separately.
Seek urgent assessment
- Fever, flank pain, vomiting, urinary retention or a clear decline in general condition.
- New confusion or reduced function in an older person; do not assume a urinary infection is the cause.
Call 116117 if you are unsure where to go or cannot get timely care. Do not wait for an appointment if your condition worsens.
Call 112
For severe breathing difficulty, unconsciousness, new stroke symptoms or another life-threatening situation.
Choosing the visit type
Remote visit, urine sample or examination?
Sometimes symptoms are enough. An otherwise healthy, non-pregnant woman aged 18–65 with typical bladder infection symptoms may be assessed without a urine sample if there are no signs of a sexually transmitted infection, vaginal infection or other risk factors.
Other suspected urinary infections need a urine culture. This includes pregnancy, children, men and people outside the criteria above. A sample can be arranged separately: needing a sample does not by itself determine whether the consultation must be in person.
The doctor assesses whether an examination is needed. If the visit type is unclear, ask Mehiläinen booking support. The age range above concerns assessment without a sample, not a general age limit for remote care.
Before your visit
What should I mention when booking?
Mention when symptoms started, any fever or flank pain, pregnancy, underlying illnesses, previous urinary infections and recent antibiotics. Also mention vaginal symptoms or a possible sexually transmitted infection.
After the visit
Your treatment and follow-up
Contact Mehiläinen Töölö if your care instructions are unclear.
Sources
What this page is based on
Website content: Markus Huotari, general practitioner. The sources below provide background information.