Treatment of urethral catheter dependence: A case study of intervention in the interdisciplinary geriatric setting.

This case report describes the assessment and treatment of a 69-year-old male medical patient with urethral catheter dependence. Assessment revealed an anxiety/phobic component to the dependence and hypothesized detrusor muscle deconditioning. Retraining of the bladder and desensitization to the anxiety-provoking situation were achieved by exposure to decatheterization in the context of a supportive adult day health care setting. Interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing and psychology were associated with successful functional, social, and psychological outcomes.