Background Approximately 25% of hospitalised adults require an indwelling urinary catheter (IDC) during their hospital stay. IDCs expose patients to risks of infectious and non-infectious complications.

Aims To identify IDC prevalence, assess adherence to clinical practice guidelines and patient-reported involvement in IDC care for adult hospital inpatients.

Methods This point prevalence study was conducted in 22 wards in a single quaternary hospital. Data was collected by clinical and research nurses working in pairs on a single day. Study outcomes were reported descriptively as frequencies and percentages.

Results Of 502 patients included, 77 (15.3%) had an IDC (median duration 99.6 h). The median age of patients with an IDC was 64 years (interquartile range 22–88 years), 54 (70%) were male and one-quarter (n = 19; 25%) of IDCs were inserted at another hospital. More than half (n = 44; 57%) of the 77 IDCs had no documented removal plan. Three patients were unavailable for review for observed clinical practices, and it was found 43% (n = 32/74) lacked a securement device. Of 77 people with IDCs, there were 44 patient responses, and 27 (61.4%) patients did not know the reason for their catheter.

Discussion Areas for improvement included securement device use, timely removal plans and patient education for the reason for the device. Regular point prevalence studies to assess use and adherence to clinical practical guidelines can improve safety outcomes for patients requiring IDCs.