Nurse Teaching on Timed Voiding for Bladder Retraining

Nurse educated the patient and caregiver on how to practice timed voiding as follows:

Timed voiding pattern is a behavior therapy of bladder retraining. By frequently emptying the bladder and thereby, reducing the back-up of urine in the bladder, timed voiding helps prevent development of urinary tract infections. This nurse teaching covers some important steps on how to educate or practice timed voiding.

The goal of timed voiding

  1. The goal of timed voiding is to cut down the frequency of urinary incontinence episodes and prevent back-up of urine in the bladder.
  2. This can help planning the voiding times ahead and urinate frequently, so that we do not hold more urine in the bladder and precipitate episodes of incontinence and urine leakage.
  3. Caregiver was instructed upon encouraging the patient to gradually increase the interval between two successive acts of voiding, which can help increase the capacity of bladder.

Follow a fixed schedule for bladder emptying

  1. To start with, try to empty the bladder at a defined interval.
  2. For example, if the set interval is one hour, empty the bladder at one-hour interval, even though the urge for urination is not felt.
  3. If the urge is felt before the one hour interval time, encourage the patient for voiding, if they are unable to hold. Setting this voiding act as the standard, try the next voiding in one hour time frame.
  4. If it is being difficult to maintain the one hour interval time repeatedly, you can try scaling it down to every 30 or 45 minutes and work it up slowly by gradually increasing the interval time between two successive acts of voiding by 15 minutes.

Have a modest start

  1. Try emptying the bladder at a defined interval. Try having a modest start of one hour as your interval. Empty the bladder at this set interval for one whole week, irrespective to the urge.
  2. If the urge is felt before the set interval time, encourage the patient for voiding, if they are unable to hold.
  3. Maintaining a diary for logging your bladder activity and restroom trips with timings can help for an easy feedback on what measures worked and what measures did not.
  4. Maintaining your voiding interval at the set time for one week is an accomplishment and can act as a positive reinforcement. This helps to increase the voiding interval time by 15 minutes for the next week and work to maintain it.

Stay encouraged

  1. Do not be discouraged, if the goal is not met.
  2. Continue to empty the bladder at the same interval for another week and evaluate your results at the end of the week.
  3. If it is being difficult to maintain the set interval time repeatedly, you can try scaling it down by 15 minutes and work it up slowly by gradually increasing the interval time between two successive acts of voiding in 15 minute gradations.
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