Indications for catheter use

The insertion of an indwelling catheter for an inappropriate indication is a key risk factor for CAUTIs ^[1]. The simplest way of minimising this risk is to ensure that:

• Clinicians are aware of the appropriate and inappropriate indications for indwelling catheterisation
• The indication for catheterisation is checked before catheter insertion.

Decision Support Tool

A decision support tool was developed to help clinicians in deciding whether an indwelling urinary catheter is an appropriate option for their patient. It 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 insertion.

This tool can be used in emergency, surgical and maternity settings as well as in other acuteareas where catheter insertions are performed (e.g. ICU/HDU, medical wards). Clinicians are NOT to use this tool for chronic catheterisations or in specialist urology settings.

• Pre-insertion support tool PDF ~95KB
• Pre-insertion support tool DOC ~79KB
• Pre-insertion support tool educator presentation PPT ~1.4MB
• Pre-insertion support tool screensaver PPT ~98KB
• Pre-insertion support tool quick guide PDF ~104KB