By Emily Moulton, National Clinical Program Manager, Urology and Critical Care at BD, and Hannah Hinsley, Clinical Connect Program Specialist, Urology and Critical Care at BD
In our work with healthcare teams, we‘ve seen that preventing catheter-related complications is rarely about a single decision. It's the result of small, consistent actions and ongoing reassessment throughout a patient's care.
Policies and protocols provide an essential foundation, but consistency depends on what happens at the bedside: conversations between clinicians, a willingness to reassess and small actions repeated throughout a patient’s care.
That’s why Catheter Care Awareness Week matters. It provides an opportunity to reflect and revisit urine management practices through a clinical lens. The right product for the right patient at the right time is a simple and practical way to think through catheter-related decisions, including appropriate use, alternatives when clinically appropriate and ongoing reassessment.
The decisions that happen before and after insertion matter
Catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention begins well before a catheter is inserted. Is an indwelling catheter clinically indicated? Could another urine management approach be appropriate? Are there patient-specific factors the care team should consider? Taking an extra beat to run through these types of pre-insertion questions can help avoid a complication down the line.
Once a catheter is placed, thoughtful decision-making needs to continue. Maintaining a closed drainage system, practicing hand hygiene before manipulation, securing the catheter as appropriate and promoting unobstructed urine flow are familiar practices. But just as important, is continuing to ask whether the catheter is still needed. [1]
The 2025 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Guide to Preventing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections is an excellent resource for clinical leaders, providing practical strategies for applying current scientific knowledge and best practices across care settings. [2] For us, its guidance reinforces an important point: prevention is not one decision made at insertion. It is a series of decisions made throughout the patient’s care.
Moving From Awareness to Implementation
Especially in busy clinical settings, reminders, education and clear workflows can help teams consistently apply the practices they already know.
Catheter Care Awareness Week resources, including posters, assessment tools, SBAR templates and example algorithms, can help teams reinforce product selection, catheter maintenance, and routine evaluation of catheter necessity. Used alongside unit-level data, audit findings and targeted education, these tools may also help teams identify barriers to following local protocols.
The goal is to make appropriate practices easier to remember and apply as part of everyday care.
Recommit to the Basics
In our work with healthcare teams, we’ve seen that catheter care rarely comes down to one person or one decision. It depends on clinicians across disciplines asking questions, communicating concerns and reassessing what the patient needs as those needs change.
The fundamentals may be familiar, but they are not automatic. Keeping them visible and making them easier for teams to apply consistently is one way we can continue supporting thoughtful, patient-centered urine management.
References
1. Septimus, E. J., et al. “Prevention Strategies for All Hospital-Onset Urinary Tract Infections: Best Practice Consensus Recommendations.” Open Forum Infectious Diseases, vol. 13, no. 2, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofag060.
2. Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Guide to Preventing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections. March 2025. https://apic.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025_CAUTI_Implementation_Guide_June_Update.pdf.