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Catheterisation has improved continence and reduced associated urinary tract problems. Intermittent catheterisation has been shown to be acceptable for all ages, including the elderly. The role of the nurse is important in teaching and supporting patients using clean intermittent catheterisation (CIC) to ensure confidence and adherence with the procedure. Some patients with indwelling catheters may experience poor body image and negative sexual self-esteem.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the healthcare setting, accounting for 19% of all nosocomial infections (Loveday et al, 2014).

It is estimated that 43–56% of these are catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) (Loveday et al, 2014).

If inadequately treated, CAUTI may progress to bacteraemia and consequent urosepsis syndrome, multiplying the risk of mortality and extending hospital stay (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009).

Belinda Campbell started using a single-use urinary catheter in 2011. Although she did not have a proper diagnosis, she was told that her bladder and sphincter muscles did not work and that the connection between the brain and the bladder was not as it should be. Here, we ask Belinda about her journey and the support she has received in learning how to self-catheterise and coming to terms with a lifelong condition.

This new digital journal has been developed to help you to excel in your job at a time when the demands made of you have never been greater. 

Kate Upton describes compassion fatigue, an increasingly reported form of stress associated with the demands of nursing in the current NHS, and questions what can be done to overcome it.

Over one million indwelling urinary catheters are inserted every year in the UK; this equates to between 12 and 24% of hospital patients having an indwelling catheter at some point during their inpatient stay (Feneley et al, 2015).

The use of indwelling urinary catheters in the care sector can be higher (Royal College of Physicians, 2004; Loveday et al, 2015).

Nurses should be familiar with best practice and understand the advantages and disadvantages of using indwelling urinary catheters in the urethral and suprapubic sites.

Passing urine is something most of us do not give a thought about, as it is part of everyday lives. However, it is a more complex process than is apparent, as all elements of the urinary tract need to be functioning and working together, and the three micturition centres in the body, which control filling and emptying of the bladder via the autonomic and somatic nervous systems, also need to work in harmony to urinate successfully. Here, Rachel Leaver, lecturer practitioner, urological nursing, UCLH and London South Bank University, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, provides an overview of the male and female urinary tracts.

Continence is an important and common problem and so nurses have a responsibility to be able to screen for and perform a basic assessment of incontinence.

Resolution of continence issues is possible for many with the right care and advice.

Primary care nurses need the education and training to be able to offer advice and treatment to help meet people's continence needs and to know when to refer on to specialist services.

If a patient cannot empty their bladder completely, intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC) may be an acceptable treatment option.

Learning ISC can be daunting for patients and unless taught properly and the patient is given time to learn at their own pace, compliance may be a problem (Logan et al, 2008).

There are a huge variety of catheters available for ISC and each patient should be assessed individually to find out which option best suits their needs.

Patricia McDermott explains how the ACA is setting the standard for excellence and innovation in continence care today.