The uses of indwelling catheters are very common in today’s healthcare. An indwelling urinary catheter is used to drain the bladder in situations like urinary incontinence, urinary retention and certain surgeries (Updated by: Jennifer Sobol, 2015). Indwelling urethral catheters are placed in the bladder and can be used for a short or long periods of time (Updated by: Jennifer Sobol, 2015). The catheter is first inserted through the urethra and then right after a small balloon is inflated which prevents the catheter from sliding out of the body (Updated by: Jennifer Sobol, 2015). The proper way to care for a catheter is to clean the area where the catheter exits the body and the catheter itself with soap and water daily in addition to also cleaning
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The number one major cause of these infections is the duration catheters are being left inside patients. UTI’s are the most common nosocomial infection, accounting for up to 40% of infections by acute care hospitals and up to 80% of them are associated with the presence of an indwelling urinary catheter ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). Another big issue with indwelling urinary catheters is that 25% of inpatients and up to 90% of patients in the ICU have urinary catheter during hospitalization without any appropriate indication and are at times remained in place after expiration ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). These statistics clearly show how infection rates are increasing because there are certain practices regarding catheter insertion that are being overlooked. It is important to realize that health care professional’s need to become more educated on assessing the patients need for a prescription for catheter insertion instead of ordering them with no true rationale which results in exposing patients to the unnecessarily risk of infection. Once health care professionals properly start assessing their patients then the right decision can be made on whether or not an indwelling catheter is appropriate at the …show more content…
The first technique is that prior to placement of the catheter, the nurse must assess any indications and alternatives for the patient ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). The next technique is to use aseptic technique for placement, manipulation, and maintenance. ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). The nurse should also provide proper documentation of all instances of the catheter such as insertion date, indications, and removal date ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). Finally, the nurse should promptly discontinue the indwelling catheters as soon as indicators expire ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections',
The number one major cause of these infections is the duration catheters are being left inside patients. UTI’s are the most common nosocomial infection, accounting for up to 40% of infections by acute care hospitals and up to 80% of them are associated with the presence of an indwelling urinary catheter ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). Another big issue with indwelling urinary catheters is that 25% of inpatients and up to 90% of patients in the ICU have urinary catheter during hospitalization without any appropriate indication and are at times remained in place after expiration ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). These statistics clearly show how infection rates are increasing because there are certain practices regarding catheter insertion that are being overlooked. It is important to realize that health care professional’s need to become more educated on assessing the patients need for a prescription for catheter insertion instead of ordering them with no true rationale which results in exposing patients to the unnecessarily risk of infection. Once health care professionals properly start assessing their patients then the right decision can be made on whether or not an indwelling catheter is appropriate at the …show more content…
The first technique is that prior to placement of the catheter, the nurse must assess any indications and alternatives for the patient ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). The next technique is to use aseptic technique for placement, manipulation, and maintenance. ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). The nurse should also provide proper documentation of all instances of the catheter such as insertion date, indications, and removal date ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections', 2012). Finally, the nurse should promptly discontinue the indwelling catheters as soon as indicators expire ('Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections',