After a recent stay in the Hospital – and first hand experience with products that haven’t had a design improvement since 1950 – I’m working with a major disposable medical company and I’ve got to do a sanity check.

Portable male urinals and spills there of is the subject. I spilled 1 of every three times I had to use one. A survey of nurses I know (about 10) indicated they experienced at least one spill nearly every shift worked…unless they worked in an area where most patients could walk to the bathroom (like emergency).

So…what’s your experience?
- Spills per shift
- Patients using these urinals per shift
- Area of work
- Clean up time
- Instances of finally resorting to a catheter

Thank you so much for you input…Hopefully, something can be done to increase patient dignity and make this part of your job easier.


Yep, that’s the one.

I give out more bottles in emergency than on the wards where patients are expected to ambulate as part of their treatment.

1. Average of Zero. Only had a spill once, where the patient was not listening to me explain how to use it and then didn't concentrate.
2. Depending on shift have at least 1-2 males per shift who have to use them.
3. ED at the moment, but have been in Oncology (use bathroom), Orthopedic (should use the bathroom, but day 1 after surgery they sometimes get away with the bottle)
4. About 2min. Strip, wipe with alcohol, remake.
5. Never, that is not the purpose of catheters, and miss-use can lead other complications.

__________________
'Think not of yourself as the architect of your career but as the sculptor. Expect to have to do a lot of hard hammering and chiselingand scraping and polishing. - BC Forbes'

Do you want personal spills too?

I'm pretty high on that scale.

I do worry that some people have far too little in their lives!

__________________
Julie
http://www.lifeinthenhs.wordpress.com

I work in a nursing home around a lot of patients that use urinals. I at least spill 2 or more a shift. That is that I can remember after I spill 2 or more. The time for me to clean it up all depends on how much that you spilled. If it is a lot we have to go to the end of the hall to get the mop, but if is a little an amount then we use a towel to clean it up then we call the housekeeping so they can us some cleaner.

I think every nurse spills urinals every now and then.