Assessing the Perception of Pain and Distress of Female Patients Undergoing Routine Urethral Catheterization in Cesarean Delivery

Abstract

Urethral catheterization is a common procedure performed commonly before some elective surgeries, often without consideration of the pain and negative perception among women. Owing to patient complaints and the fact that catheterization is not always necessary; a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from January to March 2012 at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences hospital. One hundred healthy women who were catheterized before undergoing cesarean delivery were interviewed to assess the perception of pain and distress, determining the association between these two factors. This issue has rarely been investigated in previous studies. This study also aimed to evaluate the efficiencies of the Wong-Baker and 0–10 numerical rating scales. The authors results indicate that although the patients did not initially have a good understanding of the pain scales, when they were given additional explanation, a positive correlation between the two scales (p<0.01) was found. Their study further demonstrates that catheterization is a moderately painful (4.68 of 10) procedure, causing distress (4.67 of 10) and discomfort.

Compliance With Guideline Statements for Urethral Catheterization in an Iranian Teaching Hospital

“…14,15 Although many surgeons may believe that catheterization is a standard part of some operations, many patients consider it an invasive procedure 12 ; moreover, it is considered to be a painful and uncomfortable procedure even among females, who are believed to experience less CA pain. 16,17 The case against the routine use of catheters was first introduced by Beeson in 1958 to call attention to the possibility of reducing infections, 18 but the inappropriate use of catheters and sometimes its severe consequences are still encountered. 5 Unfortunately, there is a gap between evidence-based recommendations and staff knowledge.…”