The goal of the research – to find out what is the role of the nurses in the development and prophylaxis of the catheter – associated urinary tract infections.

Research tasks:

1. Evaluate the theoretical knowledge about the urinary tract infections and their risk’s factors and prophylaxis of the nurses working in the units of Intensive care;

2. Evaluate do the nurses working in the units of Intensive care know how to do the urinary bladder catheterization properly according to the requirements of the methodology of the care procedures;

3. Estimate what preventive measures and methods are used by the nurses of Intensive care units in order to avoid the urinary tract infections;

4. Give the practical recommendations.

Investigative group: 104 nurses working in the units of intensive care in Kaunas University Hospital, the Second Kaunas Clinical Hospital, Kaunas Regional Hospital and Kaunas Red Cross Hospital took part in this research.

The methods of the research: questionnaire and statistical data analyses. The research was made from January to March in the year 2009.

The nonstandard authorized questionnaire which was made according to the analyses of the literature and certified hygiene norm HN 47-1:2008 „Health Care Institutions. Sanitary and epidemiological care requirements.“ affirmed by the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania and the test prepared by the researcher. The data received during the research chiseled using the SPSS 13.0 version of the statistical data analyses package.

Conclusions:

1. The theoretical knowledge about the urinary tract infections, their risk’s factors and prophylaxis of the nurses working in the units of Intensive care are sufficient. The knowledge of the nurses working in the units of Intensive care in Kaunas Regional Hospital and Kaunas Red Cross Hospital is very good, nurses from Kaunas University Hospital Intensive care units – good, and the Second Kaunas Clinical Hospital – competent. Most mistakes were done in the fourth part of the questionnaire (21 – 28) which was used for the purpose to evaluate nurses’ theoretical knowledge of the prophylaxis of the catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

2. Most nurses working in the units Intensive care do not know how to do the urinary bladder catheterization properly according to the requirements of the nursing procedures’ methodic. The knowledge of the process of the urinary bladder catheterization accomplishment of the nurses from the units of Intensive care in Kaunas University Hospital and the Second Kaunas Clinical Hospital is insufficient, and the knowledge of the nurses from Kaunas Regional Hospital – sufficient.

3. According to most interviewed nurses, in order to avoid the urinary tract infections as an alternative to a long-term indwelling urinary bladder catheterization in Intensive care units usually suprapubis catheterization in being done. Rarely nurses from the units of Intensive care use urine bags – condoms and only seldom intermittent catheterization.

According to the results of the accomplished research, practical recommendations were prepared.

Raktažodžiai: urinary bladder catheterization, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, risk factors, hospital-acquired urinary tract infection