The Quality Improvement Nursing Process

According to Franciscan Alliance’s internal policy (2016), “The registered nurse (RN) may independently enter an order into the medical record per policy/protocol to discontinue an indwelling urinary catheter” (p.2). The hospital policy for CAUTIs includes proper placement and removal of the catheter, as well as the protocol for when to remove an indwelling catheter. The specific guidelines in which a catheter should be maintained are in agreement with the CDC guidelines. Franciscan Alliance’s criteria to maintain an indwelling catheter include (2016):

Nurses lacked knowledge in the use and was unaware of the importance of the underlying evidence- base recommended criteria’s indicated on the nurse driven protocol to remove inappropriate UC’s. A nurse driven indwelling catheter removal protocol is an evidence base tool recommended by infection control organization and experts for the early removal of unnecessary or inappropriately placed urinary catheters (UC). Evidence shows that urinary catheters are the source of catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). CAUTI, is the leading cause of hospital acquired infections in the United States. The purpose of this evidence-based quality project is to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the importance and use of the nurse driven protocol on nurses ' knowledge and CAUTI rates.

1) Summary of Article: Indwelling catheter use is common, but so are infections associated with them. About 80 percent of all urinary tract infections in hospitals are caused by catheters, and about 20 percent of all hospital infections total are UTIs. Evidence-based practice should be used for insertion, maintenance, and removal. Catheters should not be left in longer than they need to be. Unfortunately, this research shows poor administrative efforts are to blame for

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

The first step nurses can take to decrease the incidents of CAUTIs in older adults is avoiding unnecessary use of catheters altogether. Initially, this begins with nurses knowing both appropriate and inappropriate situations in which a catheter should be utilized. According to (Gould et al., 2017), an appropriate situation is one where a patient has acute urinary retention or bladder obstruction, whereas an inappropriate situation is one where a catheter is being used a means of obtaining urine for culture when the patient can voluntarily void. Nurses can also use basic techniques like palpation, percussion, and inspection to effectively assess urinary retention, which is the main reason for catheterization as mentioned earlier. When techniques like this do not achieve desired results,

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

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?

Answering the call light (also called call bell a handheld like that is attached to the patient room wall, above the headboard of the bed) in a timely manner by the nursing staff in hospital setting is necessary to prevent falls that can harm, prolonged stays, and unnecessarily increase the cost of healthcare. However, researches concerning call light uses as it relates to patient safety, patient-care management and patient satisfaction are limited (Meade et al. 2006). Patients and their families emphasize that nurses should monitor patients constantly and provide assistance and answer a call light in a timely manner (Yoder, 2011). Note that the falls may be caused by several factors such as

Focus on enhancing quality of care has exaggerated on a nationwide scale. Decreasing preventable damages within the health care settings is being on focus furthermore. From this there has been an immediate connection between repayment to quality through pay-for-reporting and pay-for-execution programs. Around 25% of the hospitalized patients have an indwelling catheter in place (Saint, Kowalski, Forman et al., 2008) and there is a 3% to 7% has the probability to get urinary tract infections in such cases. The infection could cause the signs of bladder distress, trouble in urination, and high temperature in such patients. Analysis shows that 48% of patient who has indwelling catheter complains of pain from the catheter, 42 % experience inconvenience from the catheter and 61% found that their daily activities are exceptionally constrained by these catheters (Saint, Lipsky, Baker, McDonald, & Ossenkop, 1999). Urinary tract infections may prompt bacteremia (infection

This article does not provide the search strategy including a number of databases and other resources which identify key published and unpublished research. In this article, both the primary sources and the theoretical literatures are collected and appraised in order to generate the research question and to conduct knowledge-based research. In the section of the literature review, nineteen professional articles are appraised in order to provide the significance and background of the study. Saint develops the research question based on these analyses. “Catheter-associated urinary tract infections in surgical patients: A controlled study on the excess morbidity and costs” is one of the primary sources written by Givens and Wenzel who conduct and analyze this study. In addition, “Clinical and economic consequences of nosocomial catheter-related bacteriuria” is a review of a literature article which is the secondary source. Although many studies state that patient safety is a top priority and CAUTI can be controlled by the caution of health care providers, the infection rate is relatively high among other nosocomial infections. One of the reasons Saint and colleagues uncovered is unawareness and negligence by health care

As a conclusion, our nursing care will continue to evolve as we continue to identify the best approach to providing care. Throughout nursing school, our class has been educated about the importance of preventing catheter acquired urinary tract infections. If a hospital-acquired infection is obtained, that will place the patient at risk for other infections, increase the hospitalization period, and the hospital is responsible for healthcare expenses. Not to mention, a majority of these infections could be avoided through proper nursing care.

Greene (2015) conducted a surveillance study on a 30-bed medical/surgical/neurological intensive care unit at Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. A comprehensive approach to decrease catheter associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs) and to sustain CA-UTI rates below the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) benchmark was implemented. 29 CA-UTI cases from April 2013 to March 2014 were reviewed in depth to define trends (Greene, 2015). The attitudes of nurses and doctors towards indwelling urinary catheters were assessed per surveys and aseptic technique for foley catheterization was assessed to define gaps. The CA-UTI cases reviewed indicated that 66% were from indwelling urethral catheters placed on the units, 39% occurred

The hospital’s current practice for CAUTI prevention includes the use of the HOUDINI protocol. This protocol features the acronym for the strict indications required for the insertion and the continued use of the urinary catheter (hematuria, obstruction, urologic surgery, decubitus ulcer, intake and output, no code/comfort care, and immobilization). The physician places the original order for the catheter with HOUDINI protocol and chooses the indication that applies. The order empowers the nurse to assess the patient daily for the continued indications and to remove any urinary catheter that no longer meets the indications. Hospital wide the protocol has been successful at decreasing CAUTI rates, however the target for CAUTI rates is 0 and our current rate is 1.37 per 1000 catheter days. Intensive care units have higher urinary catheter usage than in medical surgical or telemetry units (Halm, O’Conner, 2014). In MICU the most common indication for a urinary catheter is the need for accurate intake and output on patients with hemodynamic instability. Staff nurses are required to assess the patient daily and readdress the continued indications. In the past month no urinary catheters were removed