In monitoring urinary output, which option is listed as a monitoring method?

• A. External catheter
• B. Indwelling catheter for all patients
• C. Weighing diapers in pediatrics and adults
• D. Urinalysis without measuring output

Answer: (A)

Monitoring urinary output should be done with a method that gives accurate data while minimizing infection risk. An external catheter (condom catheter) provides a noninvasive way to collect and measure urine output, making it suitable for many patients without placing a catheter inside the bladder. This approach reduces the risk of catheter-associated infection compared with an indwelling catheter and still yields reliable output data.

Weighing diapers can estimate urine output when a catheter isn’t used, but it’s less precise and more labor-intensive, which is why it’s less ideal as the standard monitoring method. Urinalysis without measuring output does not quantify how much urine is produced, so it isn’t a method for monitoring volume. Placing an indwelling catheter for all patients would unnecessarily raise infection risk and isn’t appropriate solely for monitoring.