Bladder drainage methods for acute urinary retention due to benign prostatic hyperplasia: patient-preference analysis

Introduction . Currently, the classical management of acute urinary retention creates a certain discomfort for the patient and leads to explore alternative method of management, such as intermittent catheterization, including focusing on the patient opinions. Objective . To assess the preference of high-risk patients for acute urinary retention relative to bladder drainage in the occurrence of acute urinary retention. Materials & methods . A survey was conducted among 200 ambulatory male patients. All the participants were tested to assess their mental status and ability to perform self-intermittent catheterization before filling out the questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions about the preferred method of bladder drainage for acute urinary retention, as well as factors influencing the patient's choice of self-intermittent catheterization in case of non-recovery. After completing the questionnaire, all the patients were shown a video on self-catheterization and asked to re-take the questionnaire after watching it. This allowed evaluating the impact of the training video on patients' preferences and their confidence in performing self-catheterization. Results . Among the 200 patients, 151 (75.5 %) preferred intermittent catheterization, while 40 (25.5 %) chose an indwelling urinary catheter. Additionally, 152 (76 %) patients opted for intermittent catheterization until the planned surgery, and 48 (24 %) selected a suprapubic catheter. The main factors influencing the patient choice of intermittent catheterization were: the desire to restore bladder function faster (on the first or second day) in 96 (63.2 %) patients; unwillingness to stay in the hospital in 56 (36.8 %); the desire to return to work in 22 (14.5 %); avoiding the use of a suprapubic catheter in 51 (33.5 %). After watching the video, there was a statistically significant change in patients' assessments of their ability to perform self-intermittent catheterization (p < 0.001). Conclusion . The patient's choice of the intermittent catheterization is significantly influenced by the patient self-confidence in the ability to practice self-intermittent catheterization and the demonstration of the video tutorial. Due to the high efficiency and safety of intermittent catheterization, this method should be introduced into clinical practice based on the proposed algorithm.