Inserting an Indwelling Urinary Catheter (Female)

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Initial Steps for Inserting Straight or Indwelling Catheters
1. Confirm the physician’s order.
2. prepare equipment
3. Perform hand hygiene and don gloves.
4. Identify the patient with two separate identifiers (name, medical
record number, date of birth).
5. Determine if patient has any allergies (especially to iodine and
latex).
6. Close door or bed curtains and explain procedure to the patient.
7. Set up good light source. Place trash receptacle within easy reach.
8. Raise the bed to a comfortable working height. Stand on the
patient’s right side if you are right handed, on the patient’s left side if
you are left handed.
9. Provide the patient with opportunity to perform personal
perineal/penile hygiene.
Inserting an Indwelling Catheter in a Female Patient
11. Position patient in dorsal recumbent position
12. Open the catheterization tray on clean bedside table while
maintaining asepsis. Put on clean gloves. Pick up drape from the top of
the catheterization kit, touching only the corners of the drape. Slide
sterile drape under patient’s buttocks
13. Remove clean gloves. Don sterile gloves. Place fenestrated sterile
drape over the perineal area. Place sterile catheterization tray on sterile
drape between patient’s thighs.
 Inserting an Indwelling Catheter in a Female Patient

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14. Open sterile lubricant and lubricate the catheter tip. Open
cleansing solution and pour over half of the sterile balls or open
antimicrobial cleansing swabs. Open the sterile specimen container.
Do test inflate the balloon.
15. Place nondominant hand on labia minora and gently spread to
expose urinary meatus. Visualize exact location of meatus. During
cleansing and catheter insertion, do not allow labia to close over
meatus until after the catheter is inserted.
16. Using sterile hand, pick up saturated cotton ball with sterile
forceps or antimicrobial swabs
17. Cleanse the urinary meatus with a downward stroke. Discard the
cotton ball or antimicrobial swab. Repeat this step three or four times.
18. Use dry cotton balls to absorb excess antiseptic solution.
19. With sterile hand, pick up the catheter approximately 3 inches
from the tip and place distal catheter end into sterile basin. If the
catheter is attached to sterile tubing and drainage container (closed
drainage system), position catheter and setup within easy reach on the
sterile field. Make sure clamp on drainage bag is closed.
20. Gently insert catheter into urethra (approximately 2 inches) until
urine begins to drain.
21. Insert the catheter an additional 2-3 inch (5 - 7.5 cm). ( female)
22. Inflate the retention balloon with the prefilled syringe. Check to
ensure placement by gently pulling on catheter.
23. Connect distal end of catheter to drainage bag. In some kits, the
catheter is already connected to the drainage unit.
24. Secure catheter tubing to the patient’s inner thigh ( female)
 Inserting an Indwelling Catheter in a Female Patient

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25. Attach drainage bag to bed frame
26. Remove gloves and perform hand hygiene.
27. Record the time of completion of the procedure, size of catheter
inserted, amount and color of urine, and any adverse patient
responses