Emptying Catheter Drainage Bag
Key Points
- Keep drainage spout from touching measuring container surfaces.
- Disinfect drainage spout and holder after emptying.
- Measure output at eye level and document volume and urine characteristics.
- Perform hand hygiene before any bag or connector manipulation.
Equipment
- Gloves
- Two barriers
- Graduated cylinder
- Alcohol swabs
Procedure Steps
- Complete routine pre-procedure actions and don gloves.
- Place floor barrier under drainage bag and set graduated cylinder on barrier.
- Open drainage port and allow urine to flow into cylinder without touching port tip to cylinder.
- Close drain and disinfect drain tip with alcohol swab.
- Disinfect drain holder (if present) and replace drain in holder.
- Place clean barrier on flat surface and place cylinder on barrier.
- Read urine output at eye level in mL.
- Assess urine characteristics: color, clarity, sediment, and odor.
- Escalate urgent abnormalities such as gross hematuria with clot burden, sudden drop in output, or new severe suprapubic discomfort.
- Empty urine into toilet; rinse cylinder and empty rinse water into toilet.
- If switching between day and night drainage bags, clean connector junction with soap and water and allow to dry before reconnection.
- Store equipment, remove gloves, perform hand hygiene, and complete post-procedure safety checks.
- Document urinary output and report abnormal findings.
Common Errors
- Allowing drain tip contact with cylinder → increases contamination risk.
- Skipping alcohol disinfection of spout/holder → increases infection risk.
- Reading output off eye level → causes inaccurate urine balance documentation.
- Reconnecting bags without cleaning and drying the connector → increases CAUTI risk.
Related
- catheter-care-assistance - Supports daily catheter hygiene and flow protection.
- toileting-method-selection-and-scheduled-assistance - Links elimination support with output monitoring patterns.