Case Study: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract
Claudette Allen
Quality Improvement Project
Catheter associated UTI
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are a serious concern in the medical world. Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections are the most commonly reported hospital-acquired condition, and the rates continue to rise. Among urinary tract infections acquired in the hospital, approximately 75% are associated with a urinary catheter, which is a tube inserted into the bladder through the urethra to drain urine (“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” n.d.). They pose a major threat to patient safety and cost well into the billions. They lead to extended hospital stays, increase health care costs, and patient morbidity and mortality. An indwelling urinary catheter …show more content…
The risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infection can be reduced by ensuring that catheters are used only when needed and removed as soon as possible; that catheters are placed using proper aseptic technique; and that the closed sterile drainage system is maintained. Creating processes based upon evidence-based practices, educating healthcare providers on how to implement those processes, and then monitoring compliance and patient outcomes, is what will lead to greater success in catheter-associated urinary tract infection (“Medline University,” …show more content…
This lack of documented rationale has proved to be an ongoing problem. Other factors relating to catheters are that the assessment of the continued need for the catheter is often overlooked and the catheter remain intact without proper indications. Urinary catheters are often used for personal preference of the nursing staff and even with the best nursing care, each day a catheter is present the risk for infection goes up 3-10% (Burnett et al., 2010, p. 546). For men with urinary incontinence, condoms applied to the penis that empty through a collection tube into a drainage bag have been widely used. Although these problems of having a tube in the urinary tract, urine within these condom catheters may develop high concentrations of organisms, the urethra and skin may be colonized with uropathogens, and bladder bacteriuria may develop (Warren, 2001, p.
Quality Improvement Project
Catheter associated UTI
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are a serious concern in the medical world. Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections are the most commonly reported hospital-acquired condition, and the rates continue to rise. Among urinary tract infections acquired in the hospital, approximately 75% are associated with a urinary catheter, which is a tube inserted into the bladder through the urethra to drain urine (“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” n.d.). They pose a major threat to patient safety and cost well into the billions. They lead to extended hospital stays, increase health care costs, and patient morbidity and mortality. An indwelling urinary catheter …show more content…
The risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infection can be reduced by ensuring that catheters are used only when needed and removed as soon as possible; that catheters are placed using proper aseptic technique; and that the closed sterile drainage system is maintained. Creating processes based upon evidence-based practices, educating healthcare providers on how to implement those processes, and then monitoring compliance and patient outcomes, is what will lead to greater success in catheter-associated urinary tract infection (“Medline University,” …show more content…
This lack of documented rationale has proved to be an ongoing problem. Other factors relating to catheters are that the assessment of the continued need for the catheter is often overlooked and the catheter remain intact without proper indications. Urinary catheters are often used for personal preference of the nursing staff and even with the best nursing care, each day a catheter is present the risk for infection goes up 3-10% (Burnett et al., 2010, p. 546). For men with urinary incontinence, condoms applied to the penis that empty through a collection tube into a drainage bag have been widely used. Although these problems of having a tube in the urinary tract, urine within these condom catheters may develop high concentrations of organisms, the urethra and skin may be colonized with uropathogens, and bladder bacteriuria may develop (Warren, 2001, p.