nursingmanagement.org

Volume 12 Issue 4

Aggression against Nursing Personnel during the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: An Internet-Based Survey

Juan Pablo Sánchez-de la Cruz,Alma Delia Genis-Mendoza,María Lilia López-Narváez,Thelma Beatriz González-Castro,Isela Esther Juárez-Rojop,Carlos Alfonso Tovilla-Zárate andHumberto Nicolini
1Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
2School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
3Nursing School of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
 

Abstract

Urinary tract infections are among the most prevalent types of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals and nursing homes, and they are primarily a result of unnecessary catheter usage and inadequate care. In Portugal, epidemiological data indicate that catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) remain widespread in clinical settings, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality rates among vulnerable populations. This study aimed to assess urinary catheter use in an oncology ward in Portugal and to evaluate nurses’ adherence to the government-endorsed standards for preventing CAUTIs. An observational study was conducted over a four-month period with daily assessments of nurses’ practices during urinary catheter insertion and maintenance using a government-endorsed auditing tool. Data were collected through on-site observations and nurses’ feedback. The findings revealed a urinary catheter utilization rate of 17.99%. However, there was a lack of complete adherence to government-endorsed standards among oncology nurses (0%). These results indicate that current practices lack evidence-based standardization. Therefore, there is a need to develop and implement quality improvement initiatives to enhance patient safety and experiences.
Keywords: nurses; professional practices; practice guidelines as topic; urinary catheters; cross-infection