# A standardized educational Intervention to enhance acceptance and adherence to self-intermittent catheterization: Protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial

## TL;DR

This study tests a new educational program to help men accept and stick with self-catheterization, a key treatment for bladder issues.

## Contribution

The novel intervention combines standard training with a booklet and video to improve catheterization acceptance and adherence.

## Key findings

- The intervention group will be compared to standard training in a randomized trial.
- Primary outcome is improved I-CAT scores at three months.
- Secondary outcomes include adherence, symptoms, and patient satisfaction.

## Abstract

•Evaluates an enhanced educational intervention to improve IC acceptance and adherence.•Randomized controlled trial design with three follow-up time points (T0, T1, T2).•Primary outcome: I-CAT score improvement at three months (T2).

Evaluates an enhanced educational intervention to improve IC acceptance and adherence.

Randomized controlled trial design with three follow-up time points (T0, T1, T2).

Primary outcome: I-CAT score improvement at three months (T2).

Intermittent catheterization (IC) is the gold-standard management for individuals with non-obstructed urinary retention and neurogenic bladder. Learning IC is physically and psychologically challenging, and several men express fear of practicing IC because of the risk of urethral trauma and urinary infections. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced educational intervention in improving IC acceptance and adherence compared to standard clinical practice training. This multicenter, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial will enroll 128 male patients, randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving standard training plus an informational booklet and video tutorial, or the control group, receiving standard training alone. The primary outcome is the improvement in IC acceptance, measured by the Intermittent Catheterization Acceptance Test (I-CAT) score at three months (T2). Secondary outcomes include adherence levels (I-CAS), urinary symptoms (USQNB-IC), procedural autonomy (Autonomy Checklist), and patient-reported satisfaction (QUEST). Findings from this study will provide evidence-based guidance on optimizing IC education to enhance patient self-management and adherence.

Image, graphical abstract