Healthcare Providers’ Compliance with Guidelines for Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections in a Rural Teaching and Referral Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a key role in the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). This study aims to determine the compliance of healthcare personnel with urethral catheterisation standards and the factors affecting it. Materials and Methods: This study is a prospective survey and was conducted between February and March 2021 after ethical approval and patient consent. An internet-based, structured 39-item questionnaire was sent via email to all HCPs at Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University Hospital, Zonguldak, Turkey. A to evaluate their knowledge and attitudes towards the prevention of CAUTI. The questionnaire was completed by 156 health professionals. For categorical parameters Fisher’s exact test, though for scale parameters student t-test, Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used. All statistical analysis was done using SPSS 17.0. Results: The average years of experience of the HCPs who participated in the survey was 12.5 years. The level of knowledge of the doctors and the nurses about the indication of catheter insertion was similar, whereas the level of knowledge about CAUTI prevention was higher among the doctors. However, none of the participants could fully describe how to prevent CAUTI. Conclusions: The level of knowledge of CAUTI preventive measures among the participants was insufficient. To effectively preventing CAUTI, there is a need to change HCPs’ perspective on this issue, which can be achieved through training, and advantage current technologies.