An RN had a patient who needed education on how to do periodic straight catheterization on his wife, who was physically unable to perform the procedure on herself. Her husband understood that this was the best option for his wife, but was very hesitant and nervous about learning the technique.

Tracey approached Julie for help, as she was getting frustrated and needed time to “cool off.” The wife was also becoming upset because she thought her husband was refusing to do the task. Julie asked her husband to speak privately so she could understand his concerns. He stated that he did not want to “hurt” his wife or “cause her to get another infection.” Julie explained to him that they would review the female anatomy before demonstrating how to do the straight cath, and review videos of people doing catheterizations.

Afterwards, Julie spoke to the wife and asked if she would be willing for Tracey and Julie to use her as a “guinea pig” to show her husband how to do the task. It was explained that everyone’s anatomy is a little different, and he needed to be comfortable finding her urethra. She agreed, and they were about to get started when the husband stopped them and said that he wanted to perform the procedure himself with nursing guidance.

Julie walked him through every step, from performing hand hygiene to setting up a “clean” area to properly cleaning this sensitive area. It was very exciting for all involved when he successfully inserted the catheter on the first attempt. There was a palpable change in the mood of the room. Both he and his wife were very happy and felt confident in their knowledge. She knew that the procedure would not “hurt,” and he felt that he could properly do the procedure each time.

They were eventually discharged with no issues.