Question

As you make patient rounds, you discover a collection bag for an indwelling catheter placed on the bed above the level of the patient's bladder.

a. What should you do first? What assessments should you make?

b. What teaching would be important in this situation?

Answer 1

Ans) a. Firstly place the indwelling catheter below the level of the patient's bladder.

- Inform the Doctor regarding this happening as patient is at a risk of UTI.

- Raise a CQI for root cause analysis.

- Carry out all due doctor's orders.

b. Health teaching:

- Placing the drainage bag on the side rail of the bed could allow the bag to be raised above the level of the bladder and urine to flow back into the bladder.

- The urine in the drainage bag is a medium for bacteria; allowing it to reenter the bladder can cause infection.

- The drainage bag should be emptied and output recorded every 8 hours or when needed.

- Urine specimens are obtained by temporarily kinking the tubing; a prolonged kink could lead to bladder distention. Failure to secure the catheter to the patient's thigh
places the patient at risk for tissue injury from catheter dislodgment.