Indwelling Urinary Tract Infection Analysis

The increase of contracting infections in acute settings and intensive care units is currently of great concern. If these infections go untreated, it can consequently cause the loss of life, and increase mortality and morbidity. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not pay for infections that were acquired during a hospital stay. This affects hospitals, preventing them from being financially fruitful. Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the most common nosocomial infections reported. It is estimated that 80% of UTIs are a result of an indwelling urinary catheter. Safety measures need to be implemented in order to decrease hospital costs, mortality, and morbidity. Effective leadership and collaborations are essential

Identify current patient safety goals for one health care setting NPSG.07.06.01
Use proven guidelines to prevent infections of the urinary tract that are caused by catheters. Managing indwelling urinary catheters according to established guidelines is crucial for patient safety. It is important that health care providers are securing catheters for unobstructed urine flow and drainage, maintaining a sterile system for urine collection, and replacing the system when required. These things, along with collecting urine samples, are all examples of how to implement the evidence-based guidelines to ensure safety and quality health care to patients (The Joint Commission, 2015).
In my facility, the safety of our patients is our top priority. We use a set of interventions using clinical indications to ensure the safety of patients with indwelling catheters. These indications are strict intake and output (I&O), patients monitored for acute renal insufficiency or failure, sedated patients with critical illness, and neurological patients monitored for syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) or diabetes insipidus. Patients suffering from acute urinary retention, or bladder outlet obstruction with the inability to void, as well as select surgical patients, are also indicated. Indwelling catheters are also used in assisting the healing of open sacral or perineal wounds in incontinent patients with a stage III or IV pressure ulcer on the coccyx or sacrum. Prolonged immobilization

This includes awareness of nutritional needs, allowing them to express their spiritual affiliation, mutual respect with the patient, and open communication. This allows decisions to be a shared experience. When decision-making is a joint process between the nurse and patient, superior patient care is achieved (School of Medicine [University Of California Irvine], 2015). The role of the advanced nurse is to be a health care provider striving to reach health care goals for their patients. By applying cultural awareness and nurse-driven protocol in critical situations, along with implementing interventions and following clinical indications, advanced nurses can reach their goals and improve patient