Catheter care should be performed before or after perineal care?

• A. Before perineal care
• B. After perineal care
• C. During perineal care
• D. Not performed

Answer: (A)

Focusing on preventing infection, you clean the catheter and its insertion area before cleaning the surrounding perineal skin. Doing catheter care first minimizes the chance that bacteria from the perineal area are carried toward the bladder via the catheter. After the catheter area is cared for, you then proceed to perineal care, reducing the overall risk of ascending infection. This follows the principle of cleaning from the least contaminated to the most contaminated area, protecting the urinary tract from potential contamination.