Medicine

Reusable catheters are a safe choice that could cut antibiotic use and NHS costs

AI Insight

A new study found that reusable urinary catheters are as safe as single-use catheters and do not increase the risk of urinary tract infections in patients. The research suggests that switching to reusable devices would not compromise patient health outcomes while potentially reducing medical waste and associated costs for healthcare systems such as the NHS.


If widely adopted, reusable catheters could reduce antibiotic prescriptions needed to treat catheter-associated infections while generating significant cost savings for public health systems and lowering environmental waste from single-use medical devices.


Reusable catheters are just as safe for patients as single-use ones and do not increase the risk of urinary tract infections, a new study has found.

Source: Reusable catheters are a safe choice that could cut antibiotic use and NHS costs