The Development of Smart Assistive Technology Devices for Urinary Catheterization Monitoring

Urinary catheterization is a common medical intervention treatment for patients who suffer from aging bladder, are long-term bedridden, critical illness, after-surgery urination difficulty, and those who need urinary output monitoring. Patients can develop bacteriuria or a urinary tract infection from long-term catheterization. To reduce infection rates, nurses must monitor indwelling catheters at all times, help empty urine drainage bags, avoid contact infection, and limit human error. However, it is not easy to provide long-term healthcare faultlessly. Industry investigation reveals that, to date, there are no automated aids for urinary catheterization. To assist the patients and nurses, this study aims to research and develop a new smart urinary catheterization monitoring device (SUCMD) with functions including Foley catheter fall-off monitoring, urine drainage bag monitoring, automated urine drainage bag empting, urinary output monitoring, catheter retention timer, and remote monitoring. Using the proposed SUCMD, nurses can improve the ease and safety of urinary catheterization, increasing convenience and reducing nurse staffing requirements.