Practices of the General Surgery Nurses Towards Catheter-Related Urinary Tract Infections: An observational Study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infections are the most common healthcare-related infections, and about 60 to 80% of these infections occur related to the catheter. Precaution steps which can be taken to prevent these infections are known to reduce morbidity and mortality rates. This study aims to investigate the practices towards prevention catheter-related urinary tract infections (CRUTIs) for the nurses working in general surgery clinics. METHODS: This study was conducted in a tertiary setting with the participation of nurses who work in general surgery clinics. The data were collected by observation form consists of 25 evidence-based practices, named "Placement of Catheter (10-practice)", "Catheter Care (7-practice)" and "Usage of Urine Bag Application (8-practice)" towards prevention of CRUTIs. The data were collected using an interactive observation method; nurses were observed three times while practicing and scored once for each practice. Then, the mean score of each practice were calculated and after evaluation, this score was found between 0-75. RESULTS: The mean age of the nurses was 27,6+-7,1(19-40) years, and 81,2% of them were females. The mean scores of the nurses for catheter placement, catheter care, and usage of urine bag were 27,2+-1,4; 17.6+-2.6; 19.1+-2.6, respectively. In addition, the mean of total score for prevention of CRUTIs was 64,0+-4,6 (range: 54 to 72). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Although the scores of nurses were medium-good, practices towards prevention of infection should be taken as a whole. Thus, nurses should kept in mind that they are responsible from catheter placement to removal.

Keywords

• nurse
• catheter related urinary tract infections
• nosocomial infections