Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Deborah Lewis

Abstract

Many inpatients in U.S. hospitals acquire an hospital-acquired infection (HAI), the majority of which can be attributed to an indwelling urinary catheter. The use of urinary catheters is a common practice within the acute care setting although the placement comes with risk. Improper catheter placement or a lack of care and maintenance can increase patient morbidity and mortality, as well as increase financial strain for the hospital. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) evaluation was to determine if using a safety checklist and a 2-person urinary indwelling catheter-insertion team would reduce the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Kotter’s change model informed the project. The evaluation encompassed reviewing the number of CAUTIs in the hospital for the 9-month period starting January 1 and ending October 1, 2018, for pre-QI data (n = 9). Following the implementation of the safety checklist, evaluation occurred for the next 9 months, October 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019 (n = 9), for post-QI data. At the end of the data collection, analysis of CAUTI rates was conducted using a 2-tail paired t-test to evaluate if there was a statistically significant difference in CAUTI rates. After running the paired t-test, it was determined there was a statistically significant difference in pre versus post-CAUTI rates (p = 0.0497). The result of the evaluation demonstrates that through the use of a 2-person safety checklist and leadership support, CAUTIs can significantly decrease in an acute care hospital. This project might support social change by contributing to improved health care outcomes and a reduction in cost of care.

Download

Included in

Nursing Commons

Share

 
COinS