Foley Catheter Care, Adult
A Foley catheter is a soft, flexible tube that is placed into the bladder to drain urine. For as long as your catheter is in place, you will need to:
Care for the skin around your catheter.
Empty, change, and clean drainage bags.
Check on your catheter throughout the day to make sure it is working properly and the tubing is not twisted or curled.
Taking good care of your catheter will keep it working properly and prevent infections and other problems from developing.
HOW TO CARE FOR THE SKIN AROUND YOUR CATHETER
It is important to take good care of your skin when you have a catheter in place. To do this:
Clean the skin around the catheter at least once every day.
Shower every day. Do not
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A clean towel.
Adhesive tape or a leg strap.
Steps
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Wet a washcloth in warm water and mild soap.
Wipe the skin around where the catheter was put in with the washcloth. Wipe away from the catheter in small circles. Do not wipe toward the catheter because this can push bacteria into the urethra and cause infection.
Pat the area dry with a clean towel. Make sure to remove all traces of soap.
Attach the catheter to your leg with adhesive tape or a leg strap, making sure there is no tension on the catheter. If you are using adhesive tape, first remove any sticky residue left behind by the previous tape you used.
Place the drainage bag below the level of your bladder, but keep it off the floor.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR DRAINAGE BAGS
You should have received a large overnight drainage bag and a smaller leg bag that fits underneath clothing. You may wear the overnight bag at any time, but you should never wear the smaller leg bag at night. Empty your drainage bag when it is ⅓–½ full or at least 2–3 times a day. Change your drainage bag once a month or sooner if it starts to smell bad or look dirty.
How To Empty a Drainage Bag
Supplies
You will be taught how to change the bag before you leave the hospital. Basic steps include:
It can also occur during blood transfusion or during dressing change. The insertion of central catheters can occur in the Interventional Radiology or sometimes at the bedside. Regardless of the where the insertion process occur, a sterile field must always be maintained and sterile techniques must always be employed to prevent any organisms from being introduced to the central line into the patient. According to The Joint Commission (2013), many organizations such as Michigan Keystone Intensive Care Unit Project and Institute for Healthcare Improvement are actually adhering to insertion bundles to reduce the CLABSI rates. The bundles include hand hygiene, maximal barrier precautions, chlorhexidine skin preparation, avoidance of femoral vein, and prompt removal of central catheter. Furuya et al. (2011) studied the effectiveness of the insertion bundle and how it impacts the bloodstream infections for patients in the Intensive Care Unit. As a result, lesser infection have occurred when the compliance is high. As mentioned, the site of the catheter also needs to be considered in the insertion process. Avoiding areas such as the groin to access the femoral artery is recommended because this area can be easily contaminated with urine or feces. In addition, after the insertion of a new central line, all the used IV tubing
Bernard, M.S., Hunter, K.F., & Moore, K.N. (2012). A review of strategies to decrease the duration of indwelling urethral catheters and potentially reduce the incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Urologic Nursing 32(1)
Only when it is absolutely necessary should a catheter be inserted into a patient. Every patient is assessed for the need for a Foley catheter. If the Foley is inserted, assessments are also then done daily to see if the need is still valid. If the reason is not justifiable the catheter must be removed from the patient (Joint Commission releases new NPSG for CAUTI, 2011). Nurses must follow guidelines while inserting indwelling catheters as well. Aseptic technique is critical to maintain during this process. The use of sterile equipment and a sterile procedure helps to reduce the risk of CAUTI. If in any way the catheter becomes contaminated during the process of insertion, the nurse should discard of the entire catheter and start with a new, sterile kit. Proper hand hygiene is very important before and after contact with indwelling catheters to decrease risk of infection. Maintenance of a close drainage is system is also important that way bacteria are not able to get in and cause infection (Revello & Gallo, 2013). Decreasing the number of times Foleys are inserted and how long they stay in for can help reduce the risk of CAUTI since the longer a Foley stays in, the higher the risk of infection becomes. Nurses must keep the catheter line patent, with no kinks to allow urine to flow freely through into the collection bag. When a urine sample must be obtained it must be done in a sterile
According to a study conducted in 2011 by the government, approximately 80% of urinary tract infections associated with indwelling catheters, increase the hospital length of stay by one to three days, and according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), have an annual cost of
Also another serious complication of CAUTI is BSI (Blood stream infections) that can be fatal if not caught and treated promptly. “The Clinical Performance of Quality Health Care, along with Joint Commission” offers standards and objectives for facilities to assess measure and improve their standards at the lowest cost possible. The database covers nursing care and education, along with guidelines on prevention. Moreover the JCAHO regulatory standards for catheterized patients are explained and the documentation that is expected when JCAHO inspections are rendered in a facility. The source “Stop orders to reduce inappropriate urinary catheterization in hospitalized patients” states that by following standard precautions with every patient these infections can be prevented. . Also the source explored whether catheters should be used at all in an effort to decrease the incidence of CAUTI’s. Intermittent catheterizations along with supra-pubic were explored with a decreased incidence of bacteria being present in the bladder afterwards. The source “Strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections in acute care hospitals” offered ways of cleansing and disinfecting the skin before insertion to reduce the risk of infection. Many CAUTI’s are linked to bacteria harboring in or around the site at insertion. By using not only aseptic technique but also cleansing the skin with chlorhexadine can decrease he incidence of infection
Preventing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections in Older Adults: Improving Health Outcomes through Assessment, Intervention, and Prevention
Urinary tract infections are one of the most hospital-acquired infections in the country. With so much technology and evidence based practice, why is this still an ongoing problem worldwide? Could it simply be the basics of hygiene or just patient negligence? The purpose of this paper is to identify multiple studies that have been done to reduce or prevent hospital associated urinary tract infections. In these articles you will find the use of different interventions that will aid in lowering the risk of these hospital acquired infections.
The PICO question is as follows: In hospitalized patients who are susceptible to catheter associated Urinary Tract infection (CAUTI), if nurses and other assistive personnel develop an action plan with a systematic team approach of evidence-based infection control practices, compared to current practices, could it reduce or eliminate incidences of CAUTI?
The three questions addressed were: Who should receive urinary catheters, what are the best practices for those who require urinary catheters and for preventing CAUTI’s acquired from urinary obstruction. This updated guideline offers recommendations for the appropriate use of indwelling catheters utilizing appropriate indications for usage, proper techniques for insertion of indwelling catheters, proper techniques for indwelling catheter maintenance, quality improvement programs, administrative infrastructure and surveillance including identifying those at risk for CAUTI (Gould et al, 2009). The strengths of this guideline are that many questions and scenarios are examined in this document and answered in explicit detail. Any healthcare professional can refer to the document to answer most practice based questions that are posed to them regarding indwelling urinary catheters. One weakness identified is the lack of an alternative explored for the external catheterization for female patients, for example the Purewick solution. However, the Purewick was not released until January 2016 and this guideline was last updated in 2009. Integrative Review
The patient and their families must be aware of the infection, the source of infection, signs and symptoms, treatments, and measures to apply at home to decrease their risk of receiving an infection. Because geriatric patients are incontinent they may need a catheter in place to help remove their urine. Nurses must perform aseptic technique, wearing proper gloves when inserting or removing device. Another way to help reduce the risk of elderly urinary tract infections would be to avoid or remove catheter soon as possible. Once patients are cleared for discharge they must be aware of the steps to take to insure proper bladder
Wash your hands with soap and water before and after caring for your catheter. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.
The Quality Improvement nursing process that I have chosen to research is patient safety. I have chosen to focus specifically on the topic of catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI’s) during hospitalization and their preventions. It is estimated that 15-25% of hospitalized patients receive a urinary catheter throughout their stay, whether or not they need it. A large 80% of all patients diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) can be attributed to a catheter (Bernard, Hunter, and Moore, 2012). The bacteria may gain entry into the bladder during insertion of the catheter, during manipulation of the catheter or drainage system, around the catheter, and after removal.
I was slightly familiar with the foley catheter, however, I need some slight guidance. I knew that I needed to drain the foley bag because it was slightly full, but I did not know where to unclamp to drain it. The nurse’s aid taught me how to unclamp the bag so I can drain the urine. I also learned that when moving the patient who has a foley bag, it was important to make sure that the patient is not going to get a UTI. UTI can be caused by holding the foley bag at a higher positon causing the urine to backtrack. It is important to keep that in mind as a healthcare worker. I have not been skill checked on foley catheters, however, I need to practice working around foley catheters to protect the patient. I could always go on youtube and search videos on foley catheters or I can use the perry and potter book to learn
There are chances that the catheter might damage the blood vessels by poking or scraping them.