Nurse-Driven Process for the Successful Removal of Urinary Catheters Among Elderly Patients After Hip Fracture Surgery: A Quality Improvement Project.

Hip fracture is a major health concern and the use of an indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) constitutes a significant burden on elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.The institution had a high rate of urinary tract infection (UTI) and IUC reinsertion after hip fracture surgery.A pre/post-implementation design was used for this quality improvement initiative.A nurse-driven process was developed and implemented to improve the successful removal of IUC among patients after hip fracture surgery.There was a significant reduction in post-operative urinary retention (P = .042), UTI rate (P = .047), and IUC reinsertion (P = .042) in the post-implementation group. IUC duration decreased by 1.1 days, however this was not significant (P = .206). Nurse compliance with following the new process was 93.3%.The nurse-driven process designed for elderly patients following hip fracture surgery presents a promising approach to reducing IUC reinsertion rates and UTI.

Duke Scholars

Author Cristina Cu Hendrix School of Nursing