Do staff education and quality improvement initiatives reduce the risk of catheter-associated UTI?
Urinary drainage may be managed by an indwelling catheter in several circumstances.1,2 Short-term catheterization (usually defined as persisting for 2 weeks or less) may be undertaken after urologic, gynecologic, neurologic, or abdominopelvic surgery in critically ill patients requiring close monitoring of urine output during the acute phase after a paralyzing neurologic disorder and in cases of acute urinary retention. The indications for a long-term indwelling catheter (persisting for more than 2 weeks) are more restrictive. They are: (1) urinary retention associated with bladder outlet obstruction that cannot be managed by other methods, (2) urinary incontinence coexisting with urinary retention that cannot be managed by other methods, (3) delayed healing of a high-stage pressure ulcer owing to urinary incontinence, and (4) palliative care settings where routine toileting is compromised by pain or immobility.Nevertheless, many patients are managed by long-term indwelling catheters,
