Nursing Leadership Course
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The problem is a catheter-related UTI. Evidence-based procedures are employed to improve patient outcomes, which is problematic. This condition is also often connected with healthcare, and catheter-related UTIs account for a large proportion of infections reported by acute care hospitals in the US. Adult inpatients utilize urinary catheters between 12 and 16% of the time (CDC, 2020). Having an IUC increases the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). Urinary catheters are often given to cancer patients in acute care centers after surgery or medical emergencies. To guarantee their safety, these patients must be assured that they will not get infected during catheterization.
CAUTIs may also cause additional health complications such cystitis, endocarditis, and meningitis, as well as longer hospital stays and greater mortality rates. The catheter may let more bacteria into the body. Patients and facilities alike are affected by healthcare-related infections.
The CDC's latest evidence-based practice recommendations include urinary catheter use, insertion, maintenance, and removal. These rules are here. Hand hygiene, aseptic and sterile catheter insertion, and a closed drainage system are all examples of ways to reduce catheter-related problems. This collection of proposed ideas has proven difficult to implement in institutions. Implementation is hampered by patient and family needs, as well as late IUC removal (Manzer & Bell, 2022). The necessity of physician instructions for the installation, reinsertion, or removal of indwelling catheters further restricts nurse autonomy and patient care and safety. Infections caused by catheters are entered into a national database and compared to other hospitals for safety concerns. My facility's CAUTI score is much above the national average of 0.774. (Barrett & Francescutti, 2020).) Based on these data, a CAUTI prevention system is required.
Nurses are often the first to see patients and may evaluate whether or not the therapy is safe and effective. The frequency of hospital-acquired infections is strongly connected to nurses' daily patient care hours (Warren et al., 2019). Nurses are responsible for catheter insertion, cleaning, and maintenance to prevent CAUTIs. Daily indwelling catheter procedures that follow the CDC's evidence-based guidelines reduce CAUTI rates. According to Rubin & Hill (2020) the CDC recommends early catheter removal, staff education, and the use of catheter replacements as part of a comprehensive CAUTI prevention strategy. When used frequently and as part of a care package, three to five evidence-based practices may improve patient outcomes.
Change is implemented through multidisciplinary teams of hospital personnel. It's critical that hospital executives like the CEO and CFO drive change. They will gather and analyze data to evaluate the outcome, the financial impact of the new technique, and how much money will be saved. Medical executives department heads, CMOs, and nurse managers may also help, cooperate, and communicate across disciplines. Including this team's expertise in protocol development might assist identify protocol weaknesses across hospital departments. Checklists, assessments, and insertion/removal instructions may also be used to track progress. The clinical and technological education divisions will be held responsible for teaching all staff members the new requirements.
CAUTI rates and financial data should be collected at least a year before to establish baseline trends. The protocol's faults and strengths should be assessed weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. The team may improve its practices to achieve this. Using a nurse-driven protocol approach would dramatically reduce CAUTIs by year's end.
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References
Barrett, R. S., & Francescutti, L. H. (2020). Hardwired: How Our Instincts to Be Healthy are Making Us Sick. Springer Nature.
Manzer, J. L., & Bell, A. V. (2022). The limitations of patient-centered care: The case of early long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) removal. Social Science & Medicine, 292, 114632.
Rubin, J., & Hill, M. E. (2020). Implementing a High-Consequence Infectious Disease Preparedness Program at an Urban Community Hospital. American Journal of Infection Control, 48(8), S44-S45.
Warren, C., Medei, M. K., Wood, B., & Schutte, D. (2019). A nurse-driven oral care protocol to reduce hospital-acquired pneumonia. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 119(2), 44-51.
