Foley Catheter Walk-through

1. Normal prep: wash hands, check order, explain procedure to patient, gather supplies, put
garbage at end of bed, perform peri-care if needed
2. Get patient into position but maintain modesty until you are ready! Keep her covered 
3. Open foley tray at end of bed using sterile technique
4. Add foley catheter to tray; tip and trick: to maintain sterility while dropping the catheter,
unwrap some of catheter, reach underneath your sterile drape and grasp catheter with drape
5. Prepare foley bag
6. Uncover patient
7. Don sterile gloves
8. Prepare tray: throw out garbage bag, forceps and blue drape, open lubricant and swabs, attach
syringe to foley; tip and trick: squeeze the lubricant into the bottom of your tray and remove
swabs from packaging to help with dexterity 
9. Place white drape at patients perineum; this does not need to be tucked all the way under!
10. Move your tray over to sterile area you created with white drape
11. Use non-dominant hand to expose the urethra; you must separate the labia majora AND minora
to do this! Pulling the skin on either side will not be adequate, you need to have your fingers on
the inside of the labia; tip and trick: to locate the urethra pay attention while you swab in the
middle as you will pull the urethra open and snap shut again (winking trick ) OR if you look at
the anatomy of a women, you will see the vagina near the bottom, just above the vagina will be
rougher looking tissue, just above that will be really smooth tissue, where the two meet will be
the urethra 
12. Clean the site; 1 swab on side furthest from you, 1 swab on side closest to you, 1 down the
middle
13. Lubricate catheter
14. Insert catheter; tip and trick: continue to insert catheter until only 6” or so is left rather than
stop with urine return; the babies head is pushing up on the urethra/bladder and we want the
balloon of the catheter to be above the babies head rather than impeding its decent 
15. Inflate balloon; stabilize the catheter with your non-dominant hand otherwise if patient gets a
contraction, it can push it back out 
16. Attach foley bag
17. Clean up! Throw away supplies, perform peri-care, reposition and re-cover patient.
18. Document; although you will not be able to on labor and delivery as there is only computer
charting 