Catheter Care | New Horizons
Training Resources

Catheter Care

It is our duty to keep the catheter and tubing clean and emptied.

Demonstrate/practice

  • Peri care/cleaning around the catheter and tubing
  • Switching out day bag and night bag
    • How to attach night bag to bed
    • How to attach day bag to leg
  • Repositioning someone with a catheter
  • Importance of bag covers

Peri Care/Cleaning Around the Catheter and Tubing

Supplies Needed:

  • Wash basin x2
  • Wash clothes
  • Towels
  • Chucks pad
  • Mild body soap
  • Alcohol swab
  • Gloves
  • Optional: no rinse cleanser

Steps:

  1. Put on gloves
  2. Fill your wash basin with warm water
  3. Fill your rinse basin with slightly warmer water because it will cool a little
  4. Add a washcloth to each one of your basins
  5. Put a chucks pad or towel underneath your client's bottom/peri area
  6. Wash your client's perineal area. Be mindful not to tug on the tubing.
  7. Rinse your client's perineal well
  8. Gently hold the top of the tubing and starting at the top, wrap your alcohol swab around the tubing and clean all the way to the bag. (If they do not have alcohol prep pads, you can use a clean washcloth and mild soap.)
  9. Remove your gloves and wash your hands

Switching Out Day Bag and Night Bag

Supplies Needed:

  • Day/night bag
  • Towel
  • Vinegar solution (3 parts water, 1 part vinegar)
  • Alcohol prep pad
  • Gloves

Steps:

  1. Put on gloves
  2. Place towel underneath the client's leg by the leg stabilizer
  3. Drain the bag that is currently connected
  4. Unconnect the tubing from the catheter
  5. Clean the new bag's connector with an alcohol swab
  6. Insert the clean tubing into the catheter
  7. Stabilize the bag to the leg (day bag) or hang the night bag in the appropriate place
  8. Clean the bag you removed with the vinegar solution and hang to dry in the designated area
  9. Remove gloves and wash your hands

Repositioning with a Catheter While Client is in Bed

Supplies Needed:

  • Pillows
  • Blanket
  • Gloves

Steps:

  1. Put on gloves
  2. Explain the procedure
  3. Have the client help as much as possible
  4. Get adequate help if needed, sometimes it's a 2 person task
  5. Raise the client's bed, if applicable, to your center of gravity
  6. Avoid friction or shearing
  7. Make sure the catheter is unhooked from the side of the bed and positioned where it will not get tugged or pulled
  8. Position yourself close to the client and use proper body mechanics to gently roll the client
  9. Place pillows under client's pressure points
  10. Rehang the bag on the side of the bed
  11. Cover the client with their blanket and make sure they are comfortable
  12. Wash your hands

Importance of Bag Covers and Infection Control

Follow these guidelines to help prevent your client from getting an infection:

  • Keep the drainage bag below the level of the bladder
  • Keep the drainage bag off the floor at all times. Use bag covers and a basin.
  • Keep the catheter secured to your client's thigh to keep it from moving
  • Don't let your client lie on the catheter or tubing to allow the flow of urine
  • Daily pericare is a must to keep the catheter clean
  • Wear gloves and wash your hands before and after touching the catheter or bag

When you Should Call Your Client's Care Manager

Call your client's Care Manager right away if:

  • Client's catheter comes out. Don't try to replace it yourself.
  • Client has a fever
  • Client is making less urine than usual
  • Client does not have urine draining into the drainage bag
  • Client's urine smells bad
  • Client has bright red blood or large blood clots in their urine
  • Client has abdominal pain and no urine in their catheter bag

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