Date of Conferral

12-4-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Dr. Jonas Nguh

Abstract

The project was a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for early catheter removal to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). At the project site, the practice gap was the surgical nurses’ nonadherence to clinical guidelines for reducing CAUTIs. This gap resulted in inconsistent catheter care practices and delays in catheter removal. The purpose of this CPG was to enhance surgical nurses’ knowledge and adherence to clinical guidelines for reducing CAUTI rates. The following practice-focused question guided the project: In hospitalized patients in acute care settings, does early removal of the urinary catheter compared to leaving the catheter until discharge reduce the incidence of CAUTI? The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool was used to review the developed clinical guidelines for reducing CAUTIs. I conducted a comprehensive literature review using the databases of PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Nursing Academic Search Premier, Allied Health Source, and the Cleveland Clinic Library Database. Four individuals were selected to make up the expert panel for this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project. I selected them based on their advanced clinical expertise and direct experience in infection prevention and nursing education. The results showed that nurses’ understanding and adherence to implementing CAUTI preventive measures had improved. This program has potential to improve patient outcomes and decrease infection rates by promoting a culture of safety and clinical excellence. This initiative promotes constructive social change in hospital care environments by equipping surgical nurses with the knowledge and resources to follow evidence-based recommendations for prevention of CAUTIs.

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