Point prevalence survey of indwelling urinary catheter use and appropriateness in patients living at home and receiving a community nursing service in Ireland

Background: Indwelling urinary catheters (IUC) are reported as the most common indwelling device in hospitals and residential/care home settings. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and appropriateness of IUCs in people living at home and receiving a community nursing service. Methods: An IUC self-report questionnaire was sent to 66 community nurses in one community care area. A second questionnaire was completed by the researcher on each patient (n = 80) identified by the community nurses. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test was used to test associations between patient demographics, catheter changes and nurses documentation. Results: The self-report questionnaire was completed by 46 of the 52 areas (88% response rate). The overall prevalence of IUCs was 1.9% with a higher prevalence among men (70%) and in the over-85-years age group (31%). The mean age was 76 years (age range = 34–98 years) and duration of use was approximately four years. Routine IUC changes were carried out by community nurses (52%), in the acute hospital (25%) or by general practitioners (20%) and the type of catheter influenced person/location of catheter changes (P = 0.001). Discussion: This study adds to the understanding of IUCs in patients at home and is the first to investigate if the IUC is appropriate in this setting. It prompted a review of current guidance and development of standard documentation for IUC management locally to ensure that the IUC in use is appropriate. It also suggests that there is a need for internationally accepted, appropriate indications for long-term IUC use to facilitate consistency and allow comparison across studies in future.