Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection - Scope and Impact of the Problem - Essay Example

Implementation Plan Introduction Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) is increasingly becoming common in today’s world. CAUTI accounts for up to forty percent of health care associated infections and is responsible to the high rate of mortality in patients affected. Use of the indwelling catheters is the most common cause of CAUTI. A good number of patients who currently have indwelling catheters are at greater risk of infection from bacteria. Women are the most affected. Once bacterial infection sets in, some of the patients go on to develop CAUTI. CAUTI is particularly common in patients under long-term care (LTC). Method of Obtaining Approval The number one step for implementing the proposal is to obtain approval from the leaders in the health sector. This will be very important, as you can be sure of their full support. It is always vital that the leaders give you the go ahead in order to proceed with the implementation of the plan. The leaders are responsible for linking you up with the authorities in charge of regulating the health care provision in the country. It also helps in ensuring that you acquire the resources required for successful implementation of the plan. The best strategy to win the approval of the leaders is to enlighten them on the importance of the plan and the massive benefits it will bring on the target population. Equipping them with the full information about the whole plan is vital if they have to give their support for the plan implementation. A written request about the plan to the leaders is necessary as opposed to word of mouth. The leaders must in turn reply in writing. For the members of staff, seeking for their involvement in implementing the plan will be an easy task once the leadership approve. Once the leadership of the organization gives the go ahead for the plant implementation, the staff is most likely to follow suit. Upon approval by both the leadership and fellow members of staff, the plan can then progress to the next stage. Description of the Current problem As described in the introductory part, Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) have consistently grown in prevalence among patients who have indwelling catheters. CAUTI increases cost of medication in hospitals and accounts for a higher percentage for mortality and morbidity (AACN, 2015). CAUTI can be preventable through adoption of viable precautionary measures. One of the major contributing factors to CAUTI is the extended duration of catheterization as well as insertion of the catheters without adequate reason as to their requirements. CAUTI results from three major aspects. One is the unnecessary use of catheters. Some medical officers recommend the use of catheters in patients whose conditions do not require the insertions of the devices at all. The second case arises from the delay by nurses and other health care professionals to remove the catheters in time. The third perquisite for development of CAUTI is absence of carefulness by nurses during the insertion of the catheters. The situation also applies during removal or routine cleaning of the catheters by nurses when performing checks on patients. The plan is to improve the operating conditions in catheter insertion and removal. The plan also looks into the situation under which catheter insertion is necessary. Proposed Prevention Measures The solution to CAUTI involves system improvement in dealing with patients under indwelling catheters. As it stands currently, most nurses lack proper training on handling catheter related problems, the major one being CAUTI. Skill refreshment is the basis of the solution proposed herein. Doctors who give recommendations on whether a patient should be under catheter or not also need to be included in the implementation of the proposals. The patient must also participate in the prevention of the CAUTI because they are on the receiving end in case the situation gets out of hand. They incur the cost and are at escalated risk of losing their lives. To limit instances of CAUTI emanating from the use of catheters, medics should avoid recommending the devices to all patients. For patients who are at greater risks of CAUTI, minimization of catheter use is vital. Such patients include but not limited to women, those who are at advanced ages and the ones who suffer from impaired immunity (Gould, 2015). Incontinence management calls for other strategies but not catheters. Medical professionals have the responsibility of assessing the condition of a given patient. For operative patients, use of catheters should be the last resort. Timely removal of catheters from the body is necessary for progress in the prevention of CAUTI. Catheters should not stay in the body for more than 24 hours unless there is a valid reason for extended use. The decision to extend the duration of catheter stay in the body comes solely from a qualified health professional. Overstaying of catheters in the body increases chances of bacterial infection that predisposes them to developing CAUTI. Catheter provides breeding ground for the bacteria. Most infections in the UTI result during the insertion and removal of catheters. Precautionary measures are necessary to limit the rate of infection and development of CAUTI (ANA, 2015). Maintaining aseptic conditions during insertion of catheters is mandatory for effectiveness in prevention. Performance of hand hygiene should precede everything. Gloves, sponges and drapes require sterilization before the start of the procedure. Cleaning of the urethra before catheter insertion requires great care. It assists in wiping out the previously present pathogens reducing the probability of pathogenesis. Prior to insertion, catheters require proper handling. Upon catheter insertion, maintenance of a sealed drainage system must follow. Compromise in the aseptic insertion should call for immediate replacement of the catheter. This enhances limit to infection from bacteria. The catheter used should have the joints connected prior to insertion in the patient’s system. For surety of no interference, collection of urine samples for further tests requires sterile conditions. The flow of urine should be free from obstruction. Rationale for Selecting Proposed Solution The reason behind the above proposals is to reduce cases of CAUTI among people. Currently, the nurses in charge of carrying out the catheter procedures do not possess the required knowledge about CAUTI prevention. By enabling, the nurses and other health professionals to carry the various procedures will boost to a great extent prevention of the CAUTI. Evidence from Review Literature According to the current situation, most CAUTI cases arise from three major scenarios. The first one is the unnecessary use of catheters. This occur instances where the patients do not require catheter but due to low knowledge base, the medics propose to patients to subscribe to the technique. The second is hygiene related. Infection takes place during the insertion or removal stages of catheterization. The third scenario is where the nurses allow the catheter to stay in the patient for longer periods. By outlining to the nurses and other health proposal the importance of limiting CAUTI, the prevention measure will definitely succeed. Implementation Logistics The implementation of the plan is a responsibility of both the leaders and fellow staff members. After approval, delegation of duties will follow. Leaders will educate the staff on the proposed guidelines of catheterization. Interruption of workflow will not occur, as there are no new members join the existing team. Special training and demonstration of the how to carry aseptic catheterization as well as assessing the patient’s condition will be necessary. The leaders in the organization are the ones to oversee the smooth implementation of the proposed changes. Implementation process is to start with immediate effect as the case of CAUTI keep arising day by day. The current organizational structure will favor the implementation, as the people involved understand the need to reduce the cases of the UTIs occasioned by catheter use. Engaging patients who currently use catheters will make them understand the need to limit CAUTI. Resources Required for Implementation Implementation of the plan will not consume many resources. Provision of adequate finances to cater for the staff training will come from the organization. The materials required for the training are easily available from within the organization. Outsourcing of extra funds from the government to cater for the extra effort by the staff members may be necessary. This will aid in boosting of morale among the members. Printing and distribution of catalogues and pamphlets to the patients will be necessary for them to comprehend their situations. They also get to learn about the dangers of exposing themselves to infection by pathogens. Evaluation of the whole plan will be carried out at various stages of implementation to determine the progress and see areas that my need adjustments. The assessments will be through use of questionnaires and performing tests on patients to tell the level of success of the whole plan. The tests come before and after the implementation to note the difference. Adoption and utilization of advanced technology for enhance accuracy of tests. The technology will also speed up the diagnosis and analysis process. Implementing the plan will utilize the readily available with little funds outsourced from outside the organization. References American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). 2015. Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: Scope and Impact of the problem. Web. February 15, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.org/wd/practice/content/practicealerts/cathassocuti-nov11.pcms?menu=practice American Nurses Association (ANA). 2015. ANA Cauti Prevention Tool. Web. February 15, 2015. Retrieved from http://nursingworld.org/ANA-CAUTI-Prevention-Tool Gould, Carolyn. 2015. Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) Toolkit. CDC. Web. February 15, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/toolkits/CAUTItoolkit_3_10.pdf Read More