Scenario 10
Rebecca is scheduled to have surgery next week and is being assessed by a nurse to ensure that she has completed her preoperative requirements and is ready for surgery. Rebecca has recently read an article in her local newspaper on hospital-acquired infections and is concerned that her physician has explained to her that she will require indwelling urinary catheterization for the procedure. Rebecca asks the nurse what she can do to prevent a UTI from occurring.

Question:
Which would be the correct response from the nurse to Rebecca’s question?

  1. Not to worry—if the patient gets a UTI, the doctor can treat the infection with an antibiotic.
  2. It is unlikely that the patient will develop a UTI.                        
  3. It is important that the urinary catheter is removed as soon as it is no longer necessary, preferably within 24 hours after her surgery to prevent infection.

 
 
 

Correct Answer

Rebecca would like to avoid complications from her surgery. The nurse can take this opportunity to teach Rebecca how she and the hospital can take steps to prevent a catheter-associate urinary tract infection from occurring.

Learning Points

  • CAUTI is the most frequently occurring healthcare-acquired infection.
  • Many healthcare facilities have created or adopted patient education tools on the prevention of certain types of healthcare-acquired infections.
  • The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, in partnership with other organizations, has created several documents or “Frequently Asked Questions” related to various types of healthcare-acquired infections.
  • Patient guides on healthcare-associated infections are available at www.shea-online.org.3