Nurse-Driven Protocol Tool to Reduce Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing
Abstract (300 words maximum)
An indwelling urinary catheter is a catheter that is inserted into the bladder for extended periods at a time. Indwelling urinary catheters are used for those who leak urine by accident, those unable to urinate, those having surgery, or other health indications. A catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) develops when bacteria enter the urinary tract through a urinary catheter and an infection develops. CAUTIs are the most common healthcare-associated infection (HAI). This project aims to develop a nurse-driven protocol tool to reduce the incidence rate of CAUTIs in hospitals each year. According to the American Nurses Association, more than 560,000 people each year develop a CAUTI. CAUTIs lengthen hospital stays, increase costs, and increase patients’ risk for morbidity and mortality. Research shows that there is no universally accepted evidence-based tool to reduce CAUTIs as there are for other HAIs. A nurse-driven bundle protocol tool that has been implemented on some nursing units has shown a drastic decrease in the rate of CAUTIs. The nurse-driven bundle protocol tool will require nurses to take a course and pass a competency test on how to properly insert and discontinue urinary catheters at their place of work. The tool will require nurses to determine if urinary catheterization is appropriate using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for indwelling urinary catheter insertion checklist. The tool will require nurses to perform a hand hygiene checklist, perform a daily maintenance checklist, require hourly documentation, and hospital administration will give nurses the authority to discontinue catheterization if deemed appropriate using a guided checklist. The project will be conducted on the ortho-surgical floor over a 2-month period on patients who required a urinary catheter. Nurses will document their interventions using the nurse-driven protocol tool. The evidence-based project outcomes will be analyzed by comparing pre-and post-intervention urinary tract infection data.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Christie Emerson
Additional Faculty
Dr. Doreen Wagner, dwagne18@kennesaw.edu
Nurse-Driven Protocol Tool to Reduce Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
An indwelling urinary catheter is a catheter that is inserted into the bladder for extended periods at a time. Indwelling urinary catheters are used for those who leak urine by accident, those unable to urinate, those having surgery, or other health indications. A catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) develops when bacteria enter the urinary tract through a urinary catheter and an infection develops. CAUTIs are the most common healthcare-associated infection (HAI). This project aims to develop a nurse-driven protocol tool to reduce the incidence rate of CAUTIs in hospitals each year. According to the American Nurses Association, more than 560,000 people each year develop a CAUTI. CAUTIs lengthen hospital stays, increase costs, and increase patients’ risk for morbidity and mortality. Research shows that there is no universally accepted evidence-based tool to reduce CAUTIs as there are for other HAIs. A nurse-driven bundle protocol tool that has been implemented on some nursing units has shown a drastic decrease in the rate of CAUTIs. The nurse-driven bundle protocol tool will require nurses to take a course and pass a competency test on how to properly insert and discontinue urinary catheters at their place of work. The tool will require nurses to determine if urinary catheterization is appropriate using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for indwelling urinary catheter insertion checklist. The tool will require nurses to perform a hand hygiene checklist, perform a daily maintenance checklist, require hourly documentation, and hospital administration will give nurses the authority to discontinue catheterization if deemed appropriate using a guided checklist. The project will be conducted on the ortho-surgical floor over a 2-month period on patients who required a urinary catheter. Nurses will document their interventions using the nurse-driven protocol tool. The evidence-based project outcomes will be analyzed by comparing pre-and post-intervention urinary tract infection data.