Urethral Catheters Essay -- Health, Diseases, Urinary Tract Infection

urethral catheters are small tubes inserted through the urethra to drain urine. Thesedevices are often linked with lofty rates of urinary tract infections (UTI) and are frequently usedin the older population. This contributes to lengthier hospital stays leading to increased checkupcosts. In 2008, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid operate (CMS) included catheterassociatedbacteriuria (CAB) as one of the preventable hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) thatwill affect reimbursement if contracted by a patient in the acute and long-term setting. This paperfocuses on three best evidence-based makes and nursing strategies to prevent CABs.BackgroundVan Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas (AR)-Oklahoma (OK)metropolitan statistical area and is the county sit of Crawford County, AR. The city of VanBuren has numerous subsystems dedicated to the well-being of the community, which includesone medical facility, five medical clinics, three nursing homes, three ambulanc e services, and theCrawford County Health Department (Yellow Pages, 2010).The medical facility, Summit Medical Center, provides full-service general acute care toapproximately 160,000 residents annually in Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties in ARand Sequoyah County in OK. The facility has 103 beds, has more than 100 nurses on module, andhas over 140 physicians in the medical clinics (Summit Medical Center, 2011).In 2009, the medical facility emergency department (ED) treated 170 residents fromnursing homes, 70 of which were hospitalized later on examination and treatment in the ED, 58were treated as ED outpatient visits, and 42 were direct hospitalization visits (Summit MedicalCenter, 2011). The majority of... ...See Figure I). The decision head is used as a guide for clinicians inmaking clinical decisions to either continue or discontinue indwelling urethral catheters.ConclusionUrethral catheterization in the older population should be considered as a last optionbecause it can lead to catheter-associated bacteriuria, bloodstream infection, sepsis and death. Itshould not be used for staff convenience, or to manage urinary incontinence manageable by othermeans. CAB is a condition that can be prevented with the application of evidence-based bestpractice strategies. These include criteria for catheter placement and discontinuation, use ofsilver-alloy catheters for short-term catheterization, and limiting bladder irrigation. An algorithmfor urethral catheter insertion, care and removal is used as a tool to servicing prevent CABs andachieve better patient outcomes.