How do I safely drain and dispose of urine with a urinary catheter?
- Carefully wash your hands.
- Dry your hands with a paper towel.
- Discard the paper towel into a waste basket.
- Put on your disposable gloves.
- Place the container under the drainage bag.
- Remove the drain from its holder, point it into the container, and release the clamp on the drain to allow the urine to flow into the container.
- Do not allow the drain to touch the container or anything else.
- When the drainage bag is empty, close the drain, wipe the end of the drain with an alcohol wipe, and replace the drain in its holder at the base of the drainage bag.
- Discard the alcohol wipe into the plastic storage bag.
- Check that the catheter and tubes are in place.
- Take the equipment tray and the container of urine into the bathroom. If your doctor or nurse has asked you to record the amount of urine, measure and make a note of it now. Discard the urine down the toilet and clean the container with liquid soap and water.
- Remove the gloves and discard them into the plastic storage bag.
- Seal the bag and put it into the trash.
- Wash and dry your hands. Discard the paper towel into the trash.
- Once each day, or according to your doctor’s instructions, clean the urethral meatus – the opening where the catheter enters the body.
A closed urinary drainage system consists of a catheter inserted into the urinary bladder and connected via tubing to a drainage bag. The catheter is retained in the bladder by an inflated balloon.
The drainage of urine is totally dependent on gravity. Therefore, tubing and the drainage bag, to collect urine, must always be below the level of the bladder.
As a caregiver, your responsibilities to a patient with a closed urinary drainage system are to:
- ensure that the patient drinks at least 8 glasses of water daily, unless on fluid restriction,
- ensure that the catheter and tubes are in a good position and open to allow urine to flow freely into the drainage bag,
- keep the body opening where the catheter enters the patient clean and free from secretions.
Ensure that the catheter and drainage tube are connected and that there is sufficient slack in the tube, between the body and thigh, to allow the patient to move the thigh without pulling on the catheter.
The drainage tube should be attached to the bottom bed sheet by a fabric tie around the tubes and a safety pin, or by a clip if one is provided.
The drainage bag can be attached to the bed frame, should never touch the floor, and should always be kept below the level of the patient’s bladder.
The drainage bag should be emptied at least daily, more often if it fills, in order to prevent infection in the system, reduce odors and keep the system open and flowing.
To empty the drainage bag, the following steps should always be followed: Carefully wash and then dry your hands, with a paper towel. Discard the towel into a plastic-lined wastebasket.
On a tray covered with clean paper towels, assemble the following equipment:
- A large plastic or glass container
- A large plastic sealable storage bag
- Disposable gloves
- Alcohol wipes
- Paper towels
Place the tray on a stable surface adjacent to the bed.
Carefully wash your hands.
Dry them with a paper towel.
Discard the paper towel into a wastebasket.
Put on your disposable gloves.
Place the container under the drainage bag.
Remove the drain from its holder, point it into the container and release the clamp on the drain to allow the urine to flow into the container.
Do not allow the drain to touch the container or anything else.
When the drainage bag is empty, close the drain, wipe the end of the drain with an alcohol wipe and replace the drain in its holder at the base of the drainage bag.
Discard the alcohol wipe into the plastic storage bag.
Check that the catheter and tubes are in place.
Take the equipment tray and the container of urine into the bathroom. If your doctor or nurse has asked you to record the amount of urine, measure and make a note of it now. Discard the urine down the toilet and clean the container with liquid soap and water.
Remove the gloves and discard them into the plastic storage bag.
Seal the bag and put it into the trash.
Wash and dry your hands. Discard the paper towel into the trash.
Once each day, or according to your doctor’s instructions, you will need to clean the urethral meatus – the opening where the catheter enters the body.
