Male catheterization by female nurses: a small-scale survey

A small-scale questionnaire survey of nurses in one Welsh district general hospital examined the views of nurses in relation to catheterization of male patients. The findings demonstrate that while most nurses agree that it is acceptable for females to catheterize male patients, most female nurses do not undertake the procedure as they incorrectly believe there are either local or national policies that prevent patients from being catheterized by nurses of the opposite sex. This often results in patients waiting longer than necessary to be catheterized, and nurses (usually male nurses) from other clinical areas being requested to catheterize a patient for whom they are not caring. Such beliefs and practices stifle the development of knowledge on this issue.