Effect of Urinary Catheter Removal Time on Satisfaction of Patients AfterLower Limb Fracture Surgery: A Clinical Trial

The patients undergoing lower limb fracture surgery face with severalcomplications and problems. One of these complications is related to use of urinary catheters and theirindwelling which may affect the patients’ satisfaction. This study aims to determine the effect of urinarycatheter removal time on the satisfaction of patients undergoing lower limb fracture surgery.

This is a non-randomized clinical trial that was conducted during 2018-2019 inTehran, Iran. By using a convenience sampling method, 84 patients undergoing lower limb fracturesurgery in the orthopedic department of Imam Khomeini and Bank Melli hospitals were selected anddivided into three groups of 28: Catheter removal after 24 hours, catheter removal after 48 hours,and catheter removal after 72 hours. The data were collected through self-reporting and interview. 72hours after catheterization and voluntary urination, they completed a demographic form and a patientsatisfaction questionnaire. The gathered data were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statisticsin SPSS software, version 16.

All three groups showed high satisfaction with their urination and there was no significantdifference among the groups (P=0.86). Regarding overall satisfaction, there was a significant differenceamong three groups (P=0.031), where the overall satisfaction was higher in patients with 24-hourcatheterization.

Early removal of urinary catheters in patients undergoing lower limb fracture surgery isassociated with their higher overall satisfaction.