Costs associated with long-term catheter care in nursing home patients

Approximately 8% of nursing home patients in Sweden have a long-term indwelling catheter. A catheter requires daily care and regular changes (basic care). Beyond this, significant numbers of patients are troubled by frequent complications necessitating acute catheter changes and/or rinses. The aim of this study was to calculate the costs associated with long-term indwelling catheters among patients at nursing homes.

All 366 patients with indwelling urinary catheters at 78 nursing homes were followed prospectively for 1 year and all catheter-related procedures, rinses, and changes were registered and the costs of the procedures calculated.

The basic cost was calculated to be SEK 1157 per month and patient. The average monthly cost for acute interventions was estimated to range from SEK 169 in the quartile with few such events up to SEK 455 in the quartile with frequent acute interventions. Personnel accounted for over 90% of the costs associated with indwelling catheters.

Basic catheter care was more cost intensive than acute interventions. This applied even for the 25% of subjects frequently troubled by complications requiring acute catheter changes or rinses. The cost of the catheters and material used in connection with catheter rinses/irrigations was low compared with the cost of the personnel undertaking the procedures.