Key considerations of intermittent catheterisation

Intermittent catheterisation provides a safe and effective alternative to indwelling catheterisation for patients who require bladder drainage. It can be undertaken by health professionals in a variety of clinical settings for a range of clinical indications, and increasingly by patients themselves who use it as a long-term bladder management technique. The relative simplicity of the technique comes with the potential for health professionals to underestimate the skills required when considering a regimen of intermittent catheterisation and, perhaps more importantly, to underestimate the impact it may have on individual patients. The aim of this article is to consider intermittent catheterisation, its indications as a bladder management technique, and the potential psychological impact it may have on the patient, as well as how this may influence concordance.