Catheter Removal

Sometimes, urinary catheters are left in situ unnecessarily after the indication for catheterisation has resolved. This puts the patient at a heightened risk of acquiring a urinary tract infection. Clinicians should continually review the need for catheterisation and initiate catheter removal as soon as the catheter is deemed no longer necessary.

Criteria-initiated urinary catheter removal

One way to overcome unnecessarily prolonged catheter dwell time is to use a criteria-initiated urinary catheter removal protocol. Use of a criteria-initiated urinary catheter removal protocol enables clinicians to initiate catheter removal based on their clinical assessment of the patient in the absence of a medical order for catheterisation or catheter removal. The CEC has developed the following criteria-initiated urinary catheter removal protocol to support clinicians working in acute adult settings.

The protocol can be used at the point of care or as part of training for new or current clinicians. If using the tool at the point of care, refer to the tool prior to catheter removal.