A urinal, urine bottle, or male urinal is a bottle for

urination Urination is the release of urine from the bladder through the urethra in Placentalia, placental mammals, or through the cloaca in other vertebrates. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, v ...

. It is most frequently used in

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

for patients who find it impossible or difficult to get out of bed during

sleep Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain Sensory nervous system, sensory activity is inhibited. During sleep, there is a marked decrease in muscle activity and interactions with th ...

. Urinals allow the patient who has cognition and movement of their arms to urinate without the help of staff. A urinal bottle can also be used by travelers or transportation workers who are unable to immediately use a public restroom as part of an emergency kit, or in areas where restroom facilities are too distant. Urinals are used as part of input and output measurement and feature embedded markings to measure the fluid. Generally, patients who are able to are encouraged to walk to the

toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting p ...

or use a bedside commode as opposed to a urinal. The prolonged use of a urinal has been shown to lead to

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...

or difficulty urinating. Urinals are most frequently used for male patients, since they are easier to use with male anatomy. While female urinals exist, they are more difficult to use, and the common practice for females is to use a

bedpan A bedpan or bed pan is a device used as a receptacle for the urine and/or Human feces, feces of a person who is confined to a bed and therefore not able to use a toilet or chamber pot. Bedpans can be either reusable or disposable, and include s ...

. Female urinals require a wider opening and must be placed between the legs. For many women, female urinals are more practical in a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

rather than in a bed. But the opening part of urinal may get infected by the germs and can be disinfected by various chemicals.

References

{{Toilets , state=expanded Incontinence Medical equipment Urine