AimDespite its limitation, bag collection is still widely used for a preliminary urine screening test in non-toilet-trained children suspected of febrile urinary tract infection. A previous study conducted by our group raised the hypothesis that the absence of direct contact between urine and the perinea during urine collection could limit urine contamination by perineal flora. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the patient's position during urine collection (upright standing position versus free position) on the rate of contaminated urine samples in non-toilet-trained children with suspected febrile urinary tract infection.MethodsThis prospective, randomized, controlled study took place in seven pediatric emergency departments. Two groups were compared: the intervention group (infants held in an upright standing position during urination) and the control group (free position during urination).ResultsAmong the 800 pediatric patients randomized to the study, 124 had a urine culture, 60 in the intervention group and 64 in the control group. Among the 124 urine cultures, 12 (9.7%) were contaminated: eight (13.3%) in the intervention group and four (6.3%) in the control group (p = 0.1824).ConclusionThe results show that the patient's position does not have a significant impact on the quality of urine samples collected by bag.