Cleaning urinary drainage bags with vinegar following radical prostatectomy surgery: is it necessary?

Following a radical prostatectomy in the authors' institution, patients are sent home with an indwelling urinary catheter. Nurses on the urology unit questioned the standard practice of teaching patients to clean their urinary drainage bags daily with a vinegar solution after discharge and the impact, if any, in reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). Using the Mayo Clinic Nursing Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM), the literature was searched and evaluated, and the evidence was compared to current practice. Findings from this literature review did not support the current practice of cleaning the urinary drainage bags with a vinegar solution. This article describes the process taken to make an effective change in the practice at the authors' institution based on the current best evidence.