Development and validation of a parsimonious prediction model for positive urine cultures in outpatient visits.

Urine culture is often considered the gold standard for detecting the presence of bacteria in the urine. Since culture is expensive and often requires 24-48 hours, clinicians often rely on urine dipstick test, which is considerably cheaper than culture and provides instant results. Despite its ease of use, urine dipstick test may lack sensitivity and specificity.