Patient satisfaction and the LoFric catheter for clean intermittent catheterization.

A pilot study was initiated to determine patient satisfaction with the use of a newly available pre-lubricated, hydrophilic, disposable LoFric* catheter for clean intermittent catheterization. The study population consisted of 16 new patients and 25 experienced with clean intermittent catheterization. Patients were asked questions regarding convenience, ease of handling, comfort and general opinion of the catheters. Four new and 8 experienced patients dropped out of the study. Of the new patients who completed the study 75% found clean intermittent catheterization less troublesome than expected and all wish to continue using the catheter. Of the experienced patients 81% had a more favorable general opinion of the disposable than of the previous catheter, 81% found the disposable catheter to be more convenient and 88% thought it was easier to handle. It appears that most people will be satisfied with the disposable catheter and will prefer it as an alternative to a plastic catheter with lubrication applied by the patient.