How do you keep a Foley bag from touching the floor when a resident is in a low bed?
I know of many facilities that have received deficiencies for having tubing or a Foley bag touching the floor. It’s a difficult thing to keep catheters from dragging on the floor, especially when a low bed is used for a resident.
Many facilities use basins to prevent lapses in hygienic storage.
Put the foley bag and any extra tubing into a new or clean wash basin (depending on your facility’s policy) and sit the basin on the floor next to the bed.
Some residents move a lot at night, and the basin may slide, depending on your floors. The foley bag could slip out. Use some no-slip or Dycem (generic no-slip is sold at dollar stores in a roll with the household items) on the floor under the basin to keep it from sliding around.
There are also Foley bag floor stands to keep the bag from touching the floor. However, if the resident moves a lot, these can tip over easily.
They also might require Dycem to prevent sliding. This same product can mount to wheelchairs in several places.
Some facilities also use a “low profile” Foley bag. It’s about half the size of the regular bag, about 1,000 cc or less, so it may need to be emptied more often than a regular size bag, which can hold 2,000 to 4,000 cc, depending on the brand your facility uses.
Bag and tubing covers can also keep these items from touching the floor. If you use these items, be sure you have a policy on how and when to use them, how often they are changed, and what to do if they get soiled.
All of these catheter and tubing products should be available from the company from which you routinely purchase your medical supplies.
From the September 2021 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
