A study of current nursing management of long-term suprapubic catheters.

Problems associated with long-term catheters can place increased demands on nurses' time and resources. This article reports a study which investigated the nursing management of 113 patients with long-term suprapubic catheters. The study identified that 52% of catheters were changed routinely, 30% of catheters were changed only when they became blocked and 30% of nurses experienced problems when changing catheters. A total of 42% of patients received either a bladder 'washout' or instillation and 60% required a dressing around their suprapubic site. This study also examined the reasons for applying dressings, the type of dressing used and the frequency of dressing changes, which has long been a neglected area of research. Recommendations for future practice are discussed.