The identified evidence-based topic for the capstone project change proposal is the management of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) among medical-surgical patients. Urinary tract infection (UTI) refers to infections within any part of the urinary system such as the uterus, kidney, bladder, and urethra. UTIs are the common types of infections in healthcare. According to CDC (2021), between 15-25% of inpatients in healthcare facilities are placed on urinary catheters. When urinary catheters are used for a long time, they increase the risk of developing CAUTI. CAUTIs are the widespread hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in the United States, with over one million cases yearly (Gomila et al., 2019). CAUTIs can lead to serious complications such as endocarditis, sepsis, and death.
Management of CAUTIs can be classified under leadership. Implementation of programs aimed at the successful prevention or reduction of CAUTIs needs strong leadership support. Clinical leaders play crucial roles in leading efforts to improve patient safety within the organization by developing a safety culture that healthcare providers and patients need to follow. Implementation of a safety culture in CAUTI management is an intricate process and leadership is required to spearhead this effort (Ree & Wiig, 2020). Effective leadership is expected to ensure staff education, thoughtful attention to strategies for catheter care and catheterization, continuous assessment of CAUTI incidences, and supervision of catheter insertion and timely removal.
References
CDC. (2021). Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) | HAI | CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hai/ca_uti/uti.html
Gomila, A., Carratalà, J., Eliakim-Raz, N., Shaw, E., Tebé, C., Wolkewitz, M., Wiegand I., Grier S., Vank C., Cuperus N., Heuvel, L., Vuong, C., MacGowan, A., Leibovici, L., Addy, I., & Pujol, M. (2019). Clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients with catheter-associated urinary tract infection in countries with a high rate of multidrug-resistance: the COMBACTE-MAGNET RESCUING study. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 8(1), 1-8. doi: 10.1186/s13756-019-0656-6
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