AimsThis study investigated user perception and adherence related to a hydrophilic‐coated urinary catheter (LoFric® Origo™), available for male patients who practice intermittent catheterization.DesignThe study had a prospective observational design, including patients from 19 European hospitals.MethodsA total of 416 patients were eligible for the study; 179 experienced catheter users and 237 de novo. Two questionnaires were filled out, one describing background data and a second, 8 weeks later, evaluating catheter features.ResultsThe response rate for the second questionnaire was 88% (365 patients). Patients evaluating the new catheter showed a general satisfaction rate of 81% and 72% kept using it. The hygienic grip of the catheter was appreciated by 85% and the foldable feature by 67%. The results show that convenience, ease of use, and hygienic factors are patient‐preferred features for a urinary catheter. These factors were confirmed for the evaluated hydrophilic‐coated catheter.
Intermittent catheterisation (IC) is considered the gold standard for bladder dysfunction‐related voiding problems following spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite this, up to 50% of individuals were no longer using IC 5 years after discharge from the rehabilitation centre. Hence, we initiated the IC Education Programme to offer standardized IC training and improve adherence. The programme was a European initiative undertaken by eight rehabilitation centres in Norway, France and Italy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the IC Education Programme. The control group comprised individuals with SCI discharged from one of the participating rehabilitation centres using IC up to 1 year before the Education Programme was initiated. A questionnaire was sent by post to this group before the IC Education Programme started. The second group comprised individuals who had participated in and been discharged using the IC Education Programme; they received the questionnaire up to 1 year after programme initiation. Anonymous responses from the two groups were compared to assess outcomes such as ongoing use of IC, satisfaction with training and attitude towards bladder issues. Three hundred sixteen responses (from 500 questionnaires sent) were received from the control group (63%) and 84 (of 142) from the IC Education Programme group (59%). The IC Education Programme significantly increased the percentage of individuals still using IC during the first year at home (99 vs. 83% for the Education Programme and control groups, respectively; p < 0·05) and improved satisfaction with training in IC. Individuals who had participated in the IC Education Programme were also significantly less bothered by bladder issues than the control group (overall SF‐Qualiveen index 1·58 vs. 1·76, respectively; p = 0·032). The IC Education Programme improved the standard of care following SCI as it enabled more individuals to continue with IC up to 1 year after discharge, and improved training satisfaction.
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