Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a health issue that is often discussed by healthcare professionals because it is observed not only in those individuals who seek for care because of urination pain but also in those who are treated with Foley catheters. In this way, the disease becomes critical when it is developed in parents who obtain long-term care.Urinary Tract Infection Caused by Foley Catheter Essay. Practitioners are expected to improve people’s condition; however, they can worsen it through the improper use of Foley catheters that leads to health complications observed in the form of UTI. Thus, it is significant to improve the process of catheter utilization in hospitals since it provides an opportunity to reduce the prevalence of UTIs significantly and enhance patient satisfaction associated with the obtained services and their outcomes.
Foley catheter was created in order to facilitate patient recovery, but it turned out to be a tool that has both positive and negative influences on people’s health condition (Stickler, 2014). Numerous researchers, including Love and Rodrigue (2013) developed their studies to reveal how the use of this treatment element can affect patient health. All of them managed to reveal that such an intervention increases risks of having UTI. In this very case, researchers conducted a study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). They focused on the oncology population because they are the ones who are often hospitalized and spend long terms receiving required care. Love and Rodrigue (2013) emphasized that a comprehensive educational program is needed to improve the outcomes of the use of catheters and minimize the possibility of developing UTIs in patients. This very intervention was recommended for the nurses since they are responsible for the process. Urinary Tract Infection Caused by Foley Catheter Essay.
Hospital personnel realizes that its patients often face UTIs and the situation is worsened because they can be developed due to the improper management of catheters. Additional funding is needed to purchase new soaps. Nurses should pay more attention to hand-washing. Patients’ condition should be assessed so that the risk of UTIs can be identified before the problem becomes critical. As a preventive measure, the use of the antimicrobial liquid soap can be recommended. Antibiotic-coated intravenous catheters should be purchased as well since they provide an opportunity to minimalize the risks for UTIs. Of course, these changes require investment and personnel education. High turnover rates may make the implementation of the alteration more complicated. Thus, strategic employee recognition is to be utilized. Nurses should have appropriate compensation packages, and a positive work environment is to be developed.
To reduce the prevalence of UTIs and make the use of catheters safer, professionals should implement a range of changes in their practices, focusing on the necessity to educate nurses additionally. As a result, health outcomes can be significantly improved. To reach these goals, managers should develop new schedules for nursing practitioners. Each of them should have enough time to remember additional information, such as the use of catheters should be limited so that it is avoided in all possible cases; sanitation and hygiene should not be neglected because associated issues increase risks for UTIs; timely changes of catheters are critical since their prolonged use leads to the development of UTIs.
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The process of the change implementation should have a realistic timeline. In this way, professionals will have enough time to get used to new practices. Electronic documentation should be improved. Urinary Tract Infection Caused by Foley Catheter Essay. All nurses should make notes associated with the use of catheters. In this way, different departments will have an opportunity to cooperate successfully to share patient information and improve their wellbeing. Finally, surveillance should be managed (Shigemura, Takase, Osawa, Takaba, & Nomi, 2015). With its help, the management can identify if desired outcomes are reached and what additional changes should be developed.
The number of cases whether the use of Foley catheter leads to adverse health influences tends to increase that is why the necessity to develop advantageous changes cannot be denied. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize this issue and encourage healthcare professionals to pay more attention to the way they utilize catheters and the occurrence of more patients with UTIs. However, the implementation of change cannot be observed if practitioners are not motivated to alter patient health outcomes. Moreover, employees’ readiness to change is critical. If they consider currently practiced process to be the best option, they are not likely to accept proposed alternations. Decent financial reserves are required for the improvement process as well. The hospital should be able to obtain required tools and to provide practitioners with appropriate wages.
Management and workforce are not less critical. The implementation of any change is to be controlled by a professional who monitors the situation and makes required adjustments. The absence of collaboration with the providers of medical tools may affect the effectiveness of the alternation, as well as the absence of experts who can educate nurses. Moreover, governmental prohibitions may have dramatic influences, but they are not likely to be observed in this situation (Stickler & Feneley, 2010).
When implementing the proposed changes, the majority of the attention should be paid to the following factors. Nurses’ knowledge – professionals need to enhance their usual practices with the help of the information provided during the education. Urinary Tract Infection Caused by Foley Catheter Essay. Tools offered by suppliers – new technologies can both enhance nurses’ knowledge and provide an opportunity to use those products that are safe for patients. These elements are typically considered to be the most significant ones for the effective change intervention. Moreover, these recommendations are developed on the basis of several studies that have similar findings. Thus, their reliability and validity can be proved.
The proposed intervention and the information revealed in the research study is advantageous for all healthcare facilities that treat patients who are obtaining long-term care. It makes it possible for professionals to identify what changes they should implement to overcome the increase in the number of patients with UTIs. The authors of the article provide a guideline that should be used by the representatives of the facility, which makes it even more valuable. In addition to that, the discussion of challenges that are typically associated with the intervention is developed. The ways to overcome them are outlined, which is advantageous for practice.
On the basis of the discussed information, it is possible to conclude that the increased prevalence of UTIs is a great problem faced by the sphere of healthcare. It is streamlined due to the improper use of catheters in patients who receive long-term care. To overcome this problem, scientists recommend using new technology and educating personnel. Even though resistance to change can be observed in some cases, it is possible to overcome it with the help of the improvement of working conditions and explanation of the significance of the alteration. Moreover, additional investment is required. Urinary Tract Infection Caused by Foley Catheter Essay.
References
Love, N., & Rodrigue, D. (2013). Catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention in the oncology population: an evidence-based approach. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 17(6), 593-596.
Shigemura, K., Takase, R., Osawa, K., Takaba, K., & Nomi, M. (2015). Emergence and prevention measures for multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in catheter-associated urinary tract infection in spinal cord injury patients. Spinal Cord, 53(1), 70-74.
Stickler, D. (2014). Clinical complications of urinary catheters caused by crystalline biofilms: Something needs to be done. Journal of Internal Medicine, 276(2), 120-129.
Stickler, D., & Feneley, R. (2010). The encrustation and blockage of long-term indwelling bladder catheters: a way forward in prevention and control. Spinal Cord, 48(11), 784-790. Urinary Tract Infection Caused by Foley Catheter Essay.
