Introduction
Catheter-associated urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) pose a considerable threat within healthcare surroundings, strengthening patient morbidity and mortality rates. Most CAUTI, given their preventable nature, need to thoroughly understand the process and solution for these cases to uphold patient safety and medical care standards. This research delves into nurses’ role in CAUTI prevention and examines their primary function. This is critical as it allows the nurses to appreciate the success of the interventions carried out at different stages before, during, and after catheter insertion, which all play a role in controlling infections. The study aims to shed light on the importance of the role of nurse staff in preventing the worsening of CAUTI in the healthcare setting by clearly describing each step of catheterization and indicating the nurse’s role.
Role of the Nurse Before Catheter Insertion
Before catheter insertion, nurses assume a fundamental role in assessing the stipulation of catheterization, a critical step in CAUTI prevention. Greene et al. (2022) work on catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) highlights the importance of reducing the number of catheters used that are not needed as one of the effective strategies for controlling CAUTI. A noticeable message about cutting the number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections is to decrease the application of urinary catheters. Nurses must explore the possibilities of avoiding catheterization in situations where it does not involve any risk, such as the bladder scan for a review of urinary retention or intermittent catheterization for temporary drainage, according to Al-Sayaghi et al. (2023). Moreover, Baker et al. (2022) stress the importance of good hand hygiene and keeping aseptic procedures during catheterization insertion. Hence, the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is lower if these measures are adhered to.
Patient education and shared decision-making are also crucial in the prevention approaches before catheterization. This study by Greene et al.(2022) illustrates how patient education should be given adequate attention, especially regarding catheter care, meaning patients should also be empowered to take charge of their urinary health. With the teaching of the risks associated with catheterization and the importance of the correct catheter care, the nurses assist patients in caring for their urinary health. Consequently, they do so by providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills. The joint model between the team members is a factor that promotes a team-based way of managing the diseases and allows them to have a common understanding of when catheterization is required and the significance of the other treatment options. Nurses can reduce CAUTIs and other iatrogenic illnesses by providing these comprehensive treatments, which appear in the prevention of bacteria colonization before catheter insertion and which seem to heal healthcare-associated complications.
Role of the Nurse During Catheter Insertion
During urinary catheter insertion, nurses apply evidence-based guidelines toward CAUTI reductions and the patient’s safety and welfare. As Al-Sayaghi et al. (2023) contend, sterile hands should be a routine procedure during catheterization involving wearing gloves and using sterile equipment. With regards to the role that healthcare facilities play in CAUTI prevention, these ventures are considered vital obstacles to the occurrence of pathogens in the urinary tract and, by extension, the risk of CAUTI. Moreover, according to Baker et al. (2022), locking the catheter should be introduced to ensure safe passage through a closed drainage system. Catheter management and drainage system identification must be considered; these elements greatly decrease the dangers of contamination and infection.
Similarly, nurses must remove catheters as soon as possible, based on the sense of Greene et al. (2022). The put-in of a catheter for longer periods could lead to a higher chance of CAUTIs, and that could be the reason why the patient’s catheter is removed as one of the mandatory actions in preventing it from recurring. Nurses rely heavily on their clinical judgment to make decisions about catheterization. This will cause the catheterization period to be shorter and fewer options available for the other patients. The nurses are watchdogs, always watching, sounding the alarm, and fighting for the patient’s survival. When the catheter is placed as required, we are engaged, and one of them, CAUTI, is reduced by ensuring safe care and good practice, as well as delivering quality care.
Role of the Nurse After Catheter Insertion
After the catheter insertion, nurses are educated on important measures against catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) through sustained instances and attentive care. By the Baker et al. (2022), there are many different strategies to control and prevent catheter-associated colonization and infection. The main one is a catheter needs assessment to be repeated at sufficient intervals, and the catheter must be removed immediately if it is not medically attributed. Therefore, CAUTI cannot be eliminated. Using catheters should be preceded by precautions to reduce its risk, and always of greater risk with long-term catheterization. Moreover, Greene et al. (2022) stress the need to include cleaning the catheter periurethra with a pre-mixed solution in the instructions and to make clear that the catheter should be appropriately fixed to prevent movement.
Moreover, nurses constantly watch the patients for developmental changes that could reflect the CAUTIs, which might require immediate steps. According to Al-Sayaghi et al. in 2023. The nurses’ primary function is to carry out continuous assessments of the patients and to quickly point out any deviations from the baseline, including urine colour, fever, and discomfort, that could be signs of CAUTI. The constant vigilance of nurses is also necessary to act quickly should any of these symptoms occur. More minor detection levels are essential for selecting specific treatments such as antimicrobial therapy and removal of catheters. It eventually stops the spread of the infection and reduces its effect on the patient and the outcome. Therefore, the mentioned methods provide the primary aim of restoring the uterus’s normality and preventing contamination from CAUTIs.
Conclusion
The role of nurses in CAUTIs is complex and of utmost importance in offering the safest and best care for patients. Before catheter insertion, the nurses thoroughly assess a patient’s medical needs that will necessitate a urinary catheterization, and they implement evidence-based interventions with very little or no unnecessary catheter use. Nurses made patients co-decision makers in their urinary health management through patient education and shared decision-making. The nurses use rigorous sterile methods to insert the catheter and advocate for early catheter removal to prevent the high likelihood of CAUTIs. Following the catheter insertion, nurses will still provide good catheter care, observing for any signs of infection and if there is any need to intervene early. Strategy development and placing before, during, and after the catheterization procedure is nurses’ fundamental responsibility in reducing CAUTI cases and improving patient outcomes. This indicates that nursing practices are the key to providing patients with this kind of safety and taking measures to reduce the prevalence of CAUTIs in hospitals.
References
Al-Sayaghi, K. M., Hussein, A., Sameer Abdulmalik Alkubati, Sultan Abdulwadoud Alshoabi, Alsabri, M., Gamil Ghaleb Alrubaiee, Mokhtar Abdo Almoliky, Saleh, K. A., Anas Khaled Al-Sayaghi, Elshatarat, R. A., Saleh, Z. T., Saleh, A., & Hassanat Ramadan Abdel-Aziz. (2023). Healthcare workers’ compliance with the catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention guidelines: an observational study in Yemen. Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-023-01352-7
Baker, S., Shiner, D., Stupak, J., Cohen, V., & Stoner, A. (2022). Reduction of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, 45(4), 290–299. https://doi.org/10.1097/cnq.0000000000000429
Greene, L. (2020). American Nurse: The Official Journal of the American Nurses Association (ANA). American Nurse. https://www.myamericannurse.com/cauti-prevention-and-urinary-catheter-maintenance/
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