Infections that occur while the provision of medical care has severe consequences, such as complications of diseases, and social and moral damage to both patients and medical personnel. One of the most urgent of such problems is urinary tract infections (UTIs). Consequences that these conditions can lead to include severe purulent septic complications, bacteremia, and other issues. Some aspects may complicate the course of infections, such as the presence of foreign bodies in the urinary tract. Bladder catheterization is among the primary sources of pathogenic spread. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) represent a considerable proportion of complications and are one of the most common in-hospital infections (De la Cruz et al., 2020). The relevance of these issues is the reason to choose a presentation’s theme.
At our workplace, we often deal with patients with urinal infections. In the case of complications, the hospital incurs additional expenses on patient retention, and the patients themselves can also receive a more significant bill. Sick people stay longer in the hospital, and medical staff needs to plan the time they usually lack to meet all patients. More importantly, although widespread, such incidents negatively affect the image of the hospital – patients may accuse staff of unprofessionalism. In such a situation, staff morale is deteriorating, and respectively efficiency and productivity fall.
The presented plan of implementation of new policies regarding the use of indwelling urinary catheters in the hospital can become a reality on conditions managers and staff are highly motivated. A possible incentive to begin implementation may be assessing the costs that the hospital carries due to CAUTIs and the possibility of preventing them. This stimulus requires additional research that will provide data to hospital managers. Their desire to change the situation could be the beginning of a new policy. However, there are many obstacles at various levels that the institution may face.
First of all, the obstacle to any changes in the receipt of funding is necessary to conduct research, find coaches, and give staff incentives. Other barriers are the time and motivation of medical staff. On the one hand, reducing the number of patients with infection is an incentive, but, on the other, the prospect is only potential and requires evidence to attract staff’s attention. Moreover, in the hospital, people work in conditions of a very limited amount of time, and training, the effectiveness of which is not apparent, will harm patients’ care. The productivity of the educational program depends on the trainer, materials, implementation strategy. If they are not good enough, there will be an additional obstacle to the implementation of the plan.
In conclusion, the severity of the consequences and the prevalence of Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) suggest the need for action. Patients, hospitals, and the entire healthcare sector incur additional costs due to the appearance of these infections. Moreover, any complications during treatment are dangerous to the patient and pose a threat to the hospital’s image. The measures proposed in the presentation to introduce a new policy about the use of indwelling urinary catheters are possible in our institution but require a high motivation for action from all employees. Obstacles that may appear during the implementation of changes include the search for the funding necessary for research and incentives. Moreover, the plan requires the allocation of additional staff time, the development of a clear implementation strategy, which will attract staff’s attention, and the search for a competent coach.
Reference
De la Cruz, J., Locke, M., Schmeling, S., Stump, C., & Thompson, D. (2020). CAUTI reduction. [PowerPoint slides].