title: Care with an indwelling urinary catheter. Tips for avoiding problems in independent and institutionalized patients.
abstract: Ideally, no patient would have an indwelling urethral catheter. However, certain circumstances require long-term catheterization. In these patients, bacterial colonization is to be expected. Morbidity and mortality related to long-term catheterization can be minimized by attention to the details of catheter care, prompt treatment of often minimally symptomatic catheter-related infections, and attentiveness to changes in patient condition or alternative treatments that may permit catheter removal.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brechtelsbauer
mesh_terms: D002985:Clinical Protocols / Q000592:standards; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006701:Home Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012648:Self Care; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control