Patient-reported risk factors for urinary tract infections are linked to lower quality of life

Risk factors for urinary tract infections associated with lower quality of life among intermittent catheter users

At the BAUN conference in the UK, Sabrina Islamoska presented a poster which highlights the patient-reported risk factors for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and how they impact quality of life among users of clean intermittent catheterisation. Coloplast has conducted a cross-sectional study on 3464 individuals from 13 different countries performing intermittent catheterisation, which showed that 68% worried about getting a UTI and 47% worried about not emptying their bladder completely after catheterisation. Additionally, a 17% lower UTI risk was observed among those perceiving their bladder as empty and, overall, individuals reported significantly lower quality of life when experiencing blood in the urine, residual urine, bowel dysfunction, recurrent UTIs, being female, and when applying additional techniques to empty their bladder. The findings from this study underlines the importance of including patient perspectives in identifying and managing UTI risk factors to address their impact on quality of life in individuals performing intermittent catheterisation.