1. Securement of the Indwelling Urinary Catheter: A Prevalence Study
- Author
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Appah, Yvonne A
- Subjects
- Catheter securement, Catheter care, Catheter fixation, Urethral catheter, Indwelling urinary catheter
- Abstract
Abstract: Experts in urology recommend stabilizing of indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs) following urethral catheterization to prevent urethral injury and patient discomfort. However, catheter securement practices have not been well studied and there is some evidence that practices are not consistent. In this one-day prevalence study, conducted at one tertiary care hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, data was collected on 21 medical and surgical units. Convenience sampling was used to obtain adult participants with urinary catheters who could provide written informed consent or had a family caregiver available for proxy consent. From a total of 72 patients with IUCs 44 participated; 39% (17) were from medicine and 61% (27) from surgery units. The overall prevalence of catheter securement was 18% (n=8/44). The results from this study demonstrate that stabilizing urethral catheters is not a common occurrence for individuals at the centre surveyed. Further research is needed to explore factors that impact securement practices.
- Published
- 2013