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RACS ASC 2025
Streamlining urinary catheter-related referrals: a framework for improved efficiency
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Poster

Disciplines

Urology Surgery

Presentation Description

Institution: Austin Health - Victoria, Australia

Purpose A significant proportion of aged-care residents require catheters. Hospital transfers for simple catheter-related issues burden both patients and the healthcare system, including on-call urology staff. We aim to assess the number of ED presentations for catheter-related concerns from aged-care facilities that can be managed in the community. Methodology We retrospectively reviewed records of aged-care residents presenting to the ED with catheter-related issues from 2018 to 2020. Exclusion criteria included patients with catheters for non-urinary tract issues or those needing further assessment. Simple management, such as flushing, repositioning without balloon deflation, or catheter change/reinsertion, was considered suitable for community management. Results 188 presentations were included, with a mean patient age of 81.3 years; 55.6% had delirium or dementia, and 74.5% required assistance for transfers. There were 118 urethral catheter-related and 70 suprapubic catheter-related presentations. The most common reasons for ED presentation were blocked/bypassing (46.8%) and dislodged/removed catheters (20.7%). ED management included reassurance (n=14), saline flushing (n=12), and catheter change/reinsertion (n=157). Of the 188 cases, 87.8% were discharged, while 12.3% required admission, including 5.9% for urology. Therefore, we propose a streamlined protocol to assess for red flags, flush blocked/bypassing IDCs, and replace if appropriate, to reduce hospital burden. Conclusion Transfer of aged-care residents to the ED for catheter-related issues is costly and burdensome. A streamlined protocol to identify red flags and manage simple issues could reduce unnecessary ED visits and improve community care efficiency.
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Authors

Dr Matthew Alberto - , Dr Anne Hong - , Dr Cheryl Yeo - , Dr Henry Yao - , Prof Damien Bolton -