OET letter about a urinary catheter or continence care: what to include
When an OET Nursing letter involves a urinary catheter or continence problem, tell the reader the type of catheter, why and when it was inserted, when it is due to be changed or removed, and any signs of infection to watch for. For continence, describe the problem and the current plan (pads, toileting times, bladder diary) in respectful, plain words, and ask the reader to continue or review that plan.
Why catheter and continence details matter
Catheters and continence plans are easy to lose in long case notes, but they matter a great deal to the next nurse. A community nurse may need to change a catheter, a care home may need to set toileting times, and a GP may need to follow up a urine culture. If your letter does not say what is in place and what happens next, the reader has to phone the ward.
At the same time, these details should be brief. One or two sentences usually do it.
The catheter checklist
When the notes mention a catheter, look for these points:
| Point | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Type | "She has an indwelling urethral catheter." |
| Reason | "...which was inserted on 9 May for urinary retention." |
| Plan | "A trial without catheter is planned for 23 May at her GP surgery." |
| Change date (long-term) | "It is due to be changed on 6 August." |
| Problems | "She had a urine infection, which was treated with a five-day course of antibiotics, completed on 15 May." |
| What to watch for | "Please contact the GP if she develops a fever, pain or cloudy urine." |
| Patient's ability | "Her husband has been shown how to empty and change the drainage bag." |
You will rarely need all seven. Choose the points the reader acts on. For general selection rules, see how to select case notes.
The continence checklist
For continence problems, the reader needs:
- What the problem is, in neutral words (urinary incontinence at night, urgency, difficulty reaching the toilet because of reduced mobility).
- What helps now (pads, a commode at night, toileting every three hours, prompting).
- What is being investigated or planned (a bladder diary, a continence nurse referral, a medicine review).
- Skin care if the notes mention redness or skin damage.
Turning notes into sentences
| Notes | Letter sentence |
|---|---|
| IDC inserted 9/5 – retention 900 mL | "An indwelling catheter was inserted on 9 May after she was found to be in urinary retention." |
| TWOC 23/5 GP surgery | "A trial without catheter is planned at her GP surgery on 23 May." |
| SPC – change due 6/8 | "Her suprapubic catheter is due to be changed on 6 August." |
| UTI – MSU E. coli, nitrofurantoin x5/7, completed | "A urine infection was treated with antibiotics, and the course has been completed." |
| Nocturnal incontinence, pads, commode at night | "She is incontinent of urine at night and uses pads and a bedside commode." |
| Prompted toileting 3-hrly – effective | "Prompting her to use the toilet every three hours has reduced daytime incontinence." |
| Sacral skin red, intact | "The skin over her lower back is red but unbroken." |
Spell out IDC, SPC, TWOC and MSU. Many readers, especially in care homes or the community, will not know your ward's abbreviations. See OET Writing abbreviations.
Respectful wording
Continence is personal. Your letter should sound clinical and respectful, which is part of the Genre and Style criterion.
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| "He wets the bed." | "He has urinary incontinence at night." |
| "She has accidents." | "She is occasionally unable to reach the toilet in time." |
| "Nappies" | "Continence pads" |
| "He is dirty." | "He needs assistance with personal hygiene." |
See also formal tone and genre.
Worked example (invented case)
Case summary (invented): Mrs Grace Okafor, 81, widow, admitted from home 2 weeks ago after a fall; now being transferred to Willowbank Care Home for rehabilitation. Urinary retention on admission; indwelling urethral catheter inserted 9 May. Urine infection 11 May, treated with 5 days of antibiotics, completed 15 May. Trial without catheter planned 23 May — care home nurse to remove; if no urine passed within 6 hours, contact GP. Before admission: urinary incontinence at night, used pads. Mobilises with a frame and supervision. Sacral skin red but intact; repositioning advised. Enjoys gardening programmes on TV. Cataract surgery 2019. Task: write to the nurse in charge at the care home.
Selection decisions:
- In: reason for transfer, catheter type and date, completed antibiotic course, removal date and the 6-hour instruction, previous night-time incontinence, mobility with frame, red skin and repositioning.
- Out: TV programmes, cataract surgery, details of the fall investigations unrelated to the request.
Sample letter body (main paragraphs):
Dear Nurse in Charge,
Re: Mrs Grace Okafor, aged 81
I am writing to transfer the care of Mrs Okafor, who is being discharged to your facility today for rehabilitation following a fall.
During her admission, Mrs Okafor developed urinary retention, and an indwelling catheter was inserted on 9 May. A urine infection was treated with antibiotics, and the course was completed on 15 May. A trial without catheter is planned for 23 May. Please remove the catheter on that day and contact her GP if she has not passed urine within six hours.
Before admission, Mrs Okafor was incontinent of urine at night and used continence pads. She walks with a frame under supervision. The skin over her lower back is red but intact, so regular repositioning is required.
I would be grateful if you could carry out the catheter removal as planned, monitor her continence afterwards and continue her skin care. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.
Yours sincerely,
The reader can act on every catheter sentence: a date, a task and a clear threshold for calling the GP.
Practise a full case under timed conditions at /writing/, or check a letter you have written for an estimated mark on each criterion.
Mistakes to avoid
- Mentioning a catheter without a plan. The reader needs to know whether it stays, comes out or needs changing.
- Unexplained abbreviations. TWOC and SPC are ward language.
- Listing every urine test. Keep only the result that changed care or still needs follow-up.
- Informal or embarrassing words. Keep the tone professional and respectful.
- Ignoring the skin. Redness linked to incontinence is a reason to act, so include it if the notes do.
Related: aged care transfer letters, infection and antibiotics in letters and falls risk and mobility.
Sources
This guide is medEmu's writing advice, not official OET guidance or clinical advice; all patients, dates and instructions are invented for practice and must not be used to guide care. The network used for this run could not reach oet.com, so no OET test facts are stated beyond the criterion names. For OET's official Writing information, see oet.com.