PostCare.com Patient Education Company While you were in the hospital, you received instructions on how to insert a catheter into your own bladder and practiced the procedure until you could do it on your own. Before you self-catheterize at home, you will need to assemble the following equipment: Patient Education * Urine collecting hat * Warm soapy water in a basin * Clean washcloth * Catheter * Lubricant * Clean hand towel * Resealable plastic bag Void into the hat. Measure the amount of urine and record it in the voided volume column on your record sheet. Carefully, wash and dry your hands. For a female, lubricate the catheter for a distance of approximately 2 inches from the tip. The female should self-catheterize when sitting on the toilet. Soak the washcloth in warm soapy water and wring it partly dry. Separate the thighs wide apart. With one hand, separate the labia. With the other hand, use the washcloth to clean the vulva from front to back in a single stroke. Alternately, an antibacterial wipe may be used, wiping once from front to back. Patient Education Still holding the labia apart, grasp the lubricated catheter with the other hand 3-4 inches from the tip. Insert the catheter slowly and gently into the urethra. Thread the catheter into the bladder, a distance of 2 to 3 inches. When the catheter is in the bladder, urine will drain out. Collect the urine into the hat. When the flow of urine stops, gently remove the catheter. Wash the catheter with soap and water, dry it with a clean towel and store it in a resealable plastic bag. The catheter may be reused for 1-2 months. Measure the amount of urine in the hat and note the volume in the post void residual column of your record. Discard the urine into the toilet and wash out the hat. Wash and dry your hands. * During the insertion, never force the catheter. * If you meet resistance and cannot advance the catheter, remove the catheter and notify your healthcare provider. Always, measure the amount of urine in the hat and write it down in the post-void residual column of your output record. Patient Education Company

Be the first to comment