Introduction Since its inception >50 years ago, clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) has become ubiquitous in managing lower urinary tract dysfunction in children. Emphasis has been on its impact on daily life, but little on its implementation and adjustment in families. The aim of the current study was to discover how families learned to implement and manage their child's CIC needs by interviewing caregivers, adolescents, and young adults about their experiences. Interviews were designed to uncover facilitators and barriers to beginning CIC to initiate potential improvements in a multidisciplinary approach. Methods A semi‐structured interview guide was developed and piloted initially to 12 families for validation. Between August 2018 and October 2019, 40 families (52 interviews of caregivers and patients >12 years) were then interviewed with open‐ended questions interspersed with more specific ones to generate discussion. Transcripts were coded using Dedoose software to create a base list with emergent codes. Inductive and deductive methods were employed to generate themes. Consensus was reached during successive team meetings. Results Five major and several subthemes emerged regarding implementation of CIC by caregivers and patients learning CIC for the first time. Theme 1 Parental reaction to CIC: Caregivers described benefits of an adjustment period on learning their child's need for CIC. Prenatal information to caregivers of spina bifida children gave them time to mentally process the need for CIC. Theme 2 Ease of learning CIC: impact of age and gender: caregivers identified advantages of initiating CIC in infancy. Caregivers speculated CIC was physically easier in boys than girls due to meatus location. Developmentally ready children expressed a desire for independence and privacy as they learned to initiate CIC. Theme 3 The impact of additional caregiver support in learning and performing CIC: presence of multiple caregivers optimized learning and implementation of CIC. Having secondary caregivers available provided peace of mind and more flexibility in maintaining reliable CIC care. Patients learning CIC found it helpful to have a parent present at the teaching session. Occasionally, female caregivers reported feelings of anger and frustration when male caregivers were reluctant to be involved in catheterization, irrespective of their child's gender. Theme 4 Satisfaction with healthcare team's approach: The healthcare team's responsiveness to their learning needs affected how they mastered CIC. The healthcare team's teaching and reassurance helped build caregiver confidence. Developmentally appropriate children were able to learn self‐catheterization when supported by the healthcare team. Patients learning self‐CIC articulated having a supportive healthcare team was helpful with implementation. Theme 5 Effect of CIC on employment status relative to job changes, insurance, and daycare: implementing and performing CIC presented a spectrum of issues related to employment. Educating employers reg...

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sexual activity, or ability to achieve orgasm in women. Masturbation and urinary leakage with sexual activity were not associated with ambulatory status in men or women.CONCLUSIONS: In young men with spina bifida, ambulatory status was associated with positive responses regarding penile sensation, orgasm, ejaculation, and sexual activity. However, ambulatory status was not associated with reporting better sexual function in young women with spina bifida. These results can be used to facilitate discussion about sexual health with young adult spina bifida patients.