All patients with an indwelling urinary catheter need to be reassessed at each catheter change to see if they are suitable for a trial without catheter.
Product choice should be guided by assessment, patient choice and the local health economy formulary.
For urethral catheterisation, smallest size that provides adequate draining should be used to avoid bypassing problems.
Only catheters that have a balloon filled with 10mls of sterile water should be used.
Standard length urinary catheters must always be used for men. Shorter Female length urinary catheters are suitable for ambulant female patients, but not usually for obese, bed or chair bound female patients. All patients with supra pubic urinary catheters should be re-catheterised with standard length catheters.
Long term catheters can stay insitu up to 12 weeks.
All urinary catheters should be:
Prescribed in single units.
Prescribe 3 every 6 months unless notified.
Prescribe 3 single units initially, 2 single units on repeat.