Nursing

Expert spotlight: Assessing risk factors for catheter-associated urinary tract infections

Nurse Manager Weekly, August 31, 2009

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This week, June Marshall, RN, MS, NEA-BC, Lucy Bird, RN, and Laura Maverick, BSN, RN-BC, discuss risk factors for nurses to watch for when assessing and documenting patients who may have present on admission (POA) catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI).

Q: What risk factors should my nurses watch for to identify patients who may have a catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) present on admission (POA)?

A: Nurses must work closely with all members of the healthcare team to identify patients at high risk for CAUTI, and carefully and accurately document findings in patients' medical records. These intraprofessional team members must also share the opinion that the best means of preventing CAUTI is to reduce catheter use whenever possible.

Starting with comprehensive patient histories on arrival is essential to identify patients' risk factors for developing a CAUTI or to determine whether they already have a UTI on admission.

Click here to read the rest of the answer and learn the risk factors, based on current evidence.

Editor's note: Do you have a question for our experts? Email your queries to Senior Managing Editor Rebecca Hendren at rhendren@hcpro.com and see your name in print next week! In the meantime, head over to our Web site and view a growing collection of advice from our experts.



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