OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify and describe myths and rituals in preparing patients for urinary catheter insertion. METHODS: This was an observational, exploratory and descriptive study conducted in nine hospitals of a city in the interior of Brazil. Following ethical precepts, data were collected by interview, with the nurse designated by the institution, using a semistructured instrument. Among the 13 institutions of the municipality, nine participated in the study. RESULTS: All hospitals had a standardized, implemented procedure for urinary catheterization. During the preparation of patients, five participants (55.5%) made no reference to orientation, privacy and humanization. All adopted divergent procedures for hygiene and antisepsis of the urethral meatus, with the presence of myths and rituals that exist outside the scientific evidence and highlight the functionalist model of the procedures performed by nursing staff. CONCLUSION: There is a need to reassess the intervention of urinary catheterization, with interdisciplinary discussions, emphasizing the use of scientific principles.
Urinary catheterization; Nursing; Cerimonial behavior; Antisepsis
