Catheter-associated urinary tract infections: primary care guidelines

In primary and community health care settings, long-term (> 28 days) urinary catheterisation (LTC) is most commonly used in managing older people and those with neurological conditions. Studies suggest that in the UK LTC is used in 0.5 per cent of people aged 75 or over (Kohler-Ockmore and Feneley, 1996) and in four per cent of people receiving domiciliary care (Getliffe and Mulhall, 1991). Most health-care associated infections (HAIs) are caused by indwelling urinary catheters (Stamm, 1998). Many of these infections are serious and lead to significant morbidity. In acute care facilities, 20-30 per cent of catheterised patients develop bacteriuria, of whom two to six per cent develop symptoms of urinary tract infections (UTIs) (Stamm, 1998).