Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention is one of the priorities of healthcare professionals. The article by Atkins et al. (2020) highlights that CAUTI is among the most frequent hospital-acquired infections globally. Its treatment requires additional use of antibiotics, which can lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, it is important to apply strategies aimed at minimizing CAUTI cases. The authors identify behavioral patterns resulting in CAUTI in different clinical contexts and overview interventions existing globally (Atkins et al., 2020). Based on the analysis, they conclude that there are missed opportunities in appropriate intervention development and applications. This is due to the focus on education and guidelines introduction rather than social, environmental, and motivational prerequisites of CAUTI development cases. The authors suggest that effective strategy should be based on shaping necessary behavioral patterns that include multiple dimensions.
One of the keywords for the article is CAUTI, which is the main topic. Additionally, the authors use the keywords behavioral wheel, behavioral change techniques, and strategic behavioral analysis, which describes the focus on behavioral patterns study and relevant interventions. There are also keywords highlighting the theoretical nature of the article, such as theory and theoretical domains framework. Keywords can help the reader identify that the article is focused on the research of behavioral patterns in CAUTI prevention and the development of a theoretical strategy for intervention development.
The development of appropriate CAUTI prevention strategies is a major issue in modern healthcare. These infections are “the most common nosocomial infections and account for 1 million cases per year in the United States” (Werneburg, 2022, p. 109). CAUTI a frequent cause of secondary bloodstream infections that require additional treatment. Finally, preventable CAUTI is associated with increased medical costs, which are estimated “to range from $115 million to $1.82 billion annually” (Werneburg, 2022, p. 109). Therefore, prevention of this type of infection can increase the quality of care and reduce costs significantly.
The information about the problem is needed by patients, healthcare professionals, healthcare management, and the government. Patients have to be aware of the risk factors associated with CAUTI, as well as its prevention methods. Healthcare professionals should implement the best strategies in order to reduce the number of hospital-acquired infection cases. Healthcare management and the government need to work in collaboration to develop efficient approaches to solve the issue.
The possible solution for the problem is appropriate healthcare professional training and patient education about CAUTI. As underlined by Atkins et al. (2020), behavioral patterns should be formed in order to prevent the development of infection. Therefore, healthcare professionals should be educated on risk factors and strategies that should be applied in different cases to reduce the possibility of CAUTI development. Patients should be aware of the existing risks in order to evaluate the correctness of actions taken by the professionals.
The dissemination of this research information will have a positive influence on the attitudes of healthcare professionals and management. First of all, physicians and nurses can be more aware of the impact that their behavioral patterns have on the effectiveness of CAUTI prevention measures. Additionally, the research highlights possible ways to develop efficient training and education approaches. This will help healthcare management implement the most appropriate programs that would promote behavioral patterns for CAUTI prevention. Overall, the research underlines the need for healthcare professionals to develop patient communication skills, better symptom evaluation, as well as environmental and social factors assessment.
References
Atkins, L., Sallis, A., Chadborn, T., Shaw, K., Schneider, A., Hopkins, S., Bunten, A., Michie, S., & Lorencatto, F. (2020). Reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections: a systematic review of barriers and facilitators and strategic behavioural analysis of interventions. Implementation Science, 15. Web.
Werneburg, G. T. (2022). Catheter-associated urinary tract infections: Current challenges and future prospects. Research and Reports in Urology, 14, 109-133. Web.