The cardiovascular thoracic step-down unit of an urban academic medical center had 4 catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in 2 months compared with 5 in the previous year. The nursing literature showed that the implementation of nurse-driven algorithms for early removal of indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs) decreased the catheter days and risk of CAUTIs. Using the Model for Improvement, the nurse leader performed daily IUC rounds to enforce the removal algorithm and visual management tools to identify IUC removal barriers. The quality improvement project resulted in fewer catheter days, the implementation of evidence-based practice, and no new CAUTIs.
The Nursing clinics of North America. 2018 Dec 17 [Epub]
Jensine A Russell, Treasa 'Susie' Leming-Lee, Richard Watters
Inpatient Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: ., Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, 461 21st Avenue South, 216 Godchaux Hall, Nashville, TN 37240, USA., Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, 461 21st Avenue South, 220 Godchaux Hall, Nashville, TN 37240, USA.