Nursing Prioritization Delegation Assignment Q 56

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Which action will the nurse take to most effectively reduce the incidence of hospital-related urinary tract infections (UTI)?

  

     A. Make sure that clients have an adequate fluid intake

     B. Educate assistive personnel on how to provide good perineal hygiene

     C. Restrict the use of indwelling catheters

     D. Perform dipstick urinalysis for clients with risk factors for UTI

    

    

Correct Answer: C. Restrict the use of indwelling catheters

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The most effective way to lessen UTIs in the hospital setting is to avoid using retention catheters. Nurses are associated with promoting policies that lessen the unnecessary use of catheters because the use of catheters is the most common cause of hospital-acquired UTIs in the United States.

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Option A: Increase the patient’s fluid intake. This has been shown to decrease UTI incidence, possibly by diluting the urine and flushing out bacteria. In the past, catheter-associated UTIs were seen as an inevitable consequence of hospitalization. Now they’re considered unacceptable results of poor care.

Option B: Perform meatal care twice daily using soap and water and working from the front to the back of the perineal area. Evidence shows no advantage to antiseptic use. Though some research suggests cleaning the catheter with povidone-iodine and applying antibiotic ointment at the insertion site may decrease bacteria, most studies show this practice has no benefit and may even lead to infection.

Option D: The other options also reduce the risk for and/or detect UTIs, but avoidance of indwelling catheter use will be more effective. Urine may be assessed both at the bedside (dipstick) and in the laboratory (microscopy, culture, sensitivity and urinary electrolytes). Urine for laboratory analysis must be transferred quickly and at the correct temperature otherwise breeding ground for contaminants.

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