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Urinary retention is a person’s inability to empty their bladder completely. This may lead to complications such as loss of bladder control, bladder damage, kidney disease, and urinary tract infections.

To prevent these problems, people with chronic urinary retention can insert a tube, called a catheter, into their body to help drain their bladder about five times daily. This process is called intermittent catheterization. All catheters are sold as “single use,” but owing to cost, some people clean and reuse them. Some catheters come already lubricated, and others need to be lubricated manually.

About 33,000 people in Ontario use intermittent catheters long term (for more than 28 days) as a result of having a spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, spina bifida, or other causes.

This health technology assessment looked at the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of different types of intermittent catheters. It also looked at the budget impact of publicly funding intermittent catheters and patients’ experiences with intermittent catheterization.