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Reuse of intermittent catheters: A qualitative study of IC users’ perspectives

Reuse of intermittent catheters: A qualitative study of IC users’ perspectives
Reuse of intermittent catheters: A qualitative study of IC users’ perspectives
Objectives: To explore the views of intermittent catheter (IC) users regarding the advantages and disadvantages of single-use or reuse of catheters.

Design: Qualitative study with semi-structured interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.

Setting: Participant’s own homes in Hampshire and Dorset, UK.

Participants: A convenience sample of 39 IC users, aged 23–86 years, using IC for at least 3 months.

Results: The analysis revealed four main themes: concerns regarding risk of urinary tract infection (UTI); cleaning, preparation and storage; social responsibility; practicalities and location. The main concern was safety, with the fear that reuse could increase risk of UTI compared with single-use sterile catheters. If shown to be safe then around half of participants thought they might consider reusing catheters. The practicalities of cleaning methods (extra products, time and storage) were considered potentially burdensome for reuse; but for single-use, ease of use and instant usability were advantages. Always having a catheter without fear of ‘running out’ was considered an advantage of reuse. Some participants were concerned about environmental impact (waste) and cost of single-use catheters. The potential for reuse was usually dependent on location. The analysis showed that often the disadvantages of single-use could be off-set by the advantages of reuse and vice versa, for example, the need to take many single-use catheters on holiday could be addressed by reuse, while the burden of cleaning would be obviated by single-use.

Conclusions: If shown to be safe with a practical cleaning method, some participants would find reuse an acceptable option, alongside their current single-use method. The choice to use a mixture of single-use and reuse of catheters for different activities (at home, work or holiday) could optimise the perceived advantages and disadvantages of both. The safety and acceptability of such an approach would require testing in a clinical trial.
2044-6055
Avery, Miriam
ad9dda5f-a7da-42dc-8cb7-83a8ca37e6ef
Prieto, Jacqueline
47dd42cd-35d5-4ece-8fc6-fdb8fe1f01cc
Okamoto, Ikumi
fc9b4fed-0c78-4925-9e6f-2bfa7c3d48bc
Cullen, Samantha
2cfcfbcd-a552-4a7f-90e4-bd77305b4058
Clancy, Bridget
05e8a022-6365-4ed8-9ac8-7390025d1465
Moore, Katherine N.
296873f6-bc30-4c53-8349-80ecd518b84a
Macaulay, Margaret
505970d3-1e67-4c1f-8291-3a950d336c6b
Fader, Mandy
c318f942-2ddb-462a-9183-8b678faf7277
Avery, Miriam
ad9dda5f-a7da-42dc-8cb7-83a8ca37e6ef
Prieto, Jacqueline
47dd42cd-35d5-4ece-8fc6-fdb8fe1f01cc
Okamoto, Ikumi
fc9b4fed-0c78-4925-9e6f-2bfa7c3d48bc
Cullen, Samantha
2cfcfbcd-a552-4a7f-90e4-bd77305b4058
Clancy, Bridget
05e8a022-6365-4ed8-9ac8-7390025d1465
Moore, Katherine N.
296873f6-bc30-4c53-8349-80ecd518b84a
Macaulay, Margaret
505970d3-1e67-4c1f-8291-3a950d336c6b
Fader, Mandy
c318f942-2ddb-462a-9183-8b678faf7277

Avery, Miriam, Prieto, Jacqueline, Okamoto, Ikumi, Cullen, Samantha, Clancy, Bridget, Moore, Katherine N., Macaulay, Margaret and Fader, Mandy (2018) Reuse of intermittent catheters: A qualitative study of IC users’ perspectives. BMJ Open, 8 (8). (doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-021554).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the views of intermittent catheter (IC) users regarding the advantages and disadvantages of single-use or reuse of catheters.

Design: Qualitative study with semi-structured interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.

Setting: Participant’s own homes in Hampshire and Dorset, UK.

Participants: A convenience sample of 39 IC users, aged 23–86 years, using IC for at least 3 months.

Results: The analysis revealed four main themes: concerns regarding risk of urinary tract infection (UTI); cleaning, preparation and storage; social responsibility; practicalities and location. The main concern was safety, with the fear that reuse could increase risk of UTI compared with single-use sterile catheters. If shown to be safe then around half of participants thought they might consider reusing catheters. The practicalities of cleaning methods (extra products, time and storage) were considered potentially burdensome for reuse; but for single-use, ease of use and instant usability were advantages. Always having a catheter without fear of ‘running out’ was considered an advantage of reuse. Some participants were concerned about environmental impact (waste) and cost of single-use catheters. The potential for reuse was usually dependent on location. The analysis showed that often the disadvantages of single-use could be off-set by the advantages of reuse and vice versa, for example, the need to take many single-use catheters on holiday could be addressed by reuse, while the burden of cleaning would be obviated by single-use.

Conclusions: If shown to be safe with a practical cleaning method, some participants would find reuse an acceptable option, alongside their current single-use method. The choice to use a mixture of single-use and reuse of catheters for different activities (at home, work or holiday) could optimise the perceived advantages and disadvantages of both. The safety and acceptability of such an approach would require testing in a clinical trial.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 20 June 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 17 August 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 423837
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/423837
ISSN: 2044-6055
PURE UUID: 523e4007-6966-4705-b4c5-9d528b5278e1
ORCID for Jacqueline Prieto: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5524-6775
ORCID for Margaret Macaulay: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1737-4589

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Date deposited: 02 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:32

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Contributors

Author: Miriam Avery
Author: Ikumi Okamoto
Author: Samantha Cullen
Author: Bridget Clancy
Author: Katherine N. Moore
Author: Mandy Fader

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