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Best Practice Statement - Urinary Catheterisation and Catheter Care (PDF, 349K, 1.32 mins)

Urinary catheterisation is an intervention to enable emptying of the bladder by insertion of a catheter. When considering catheterisation for intractable incontinence, this intervention should only be considered after all other non-invasive management options have been explored and found to be unsatisfactory. The intervention is usually performed by healthcare staff in a variety of settings including acute care, primary care and long-term care.

This statement has been developed to cover male and female catheterisation including children in all these settings.

General principles of catheterisation and infection control apply to all patient groups; however, some patient groups will have particular needs, eg children and patients with spinal injuries. Staff working with these groups of patients must familiarise themselves with their unique needs.