Evaluation of the Effect of Care Package Application on Urinary Catheter-Related Infections and Incontinence in Female Patients Hospitalized in Intensive Care Units.
Kutlug Sevcan, Dogu Özlem
PMID 40273953WHAT IT FOUND
Female ICU patients given the catheter care package did not have fewer confirmed infections or lower incontinence scores.
More reported infection symptoms occurred in the package group, but pandemic illness likely confused this.
Key findings
01Reported CA-UTI symptoms were significantly more common in the intervention group than in the control group (42.3% vs 15.4%).
02Urine culture growth and leukocyte values did not differ significantly between groups.
03Incontinence questionnaire scores did not differ significantly between groups at discharge or one month.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The design was nonrandomized and not properly blinded because the intervention group was recruited after the control group to avoid contamination. The COVID-19 pandemic began during the intervention group, and fever, WBC, and CRP could not be used to distinguish COVID-19 from urinary infection. Only urine leukocyte values were used to assess infection status, and reported symptoms are not specific for CA-UTI. The sample was 52 female patients in one public hospital ICU, so it may not apply to men or other units. Patients were excluded or lost to follow-up after discharge, while tables report n=52. Groups differed in some risk factors and admission diagnoses, including previous birth of a baby weighing 4000 g or more and COVID-19 admissions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Financial support was provided by Sakarya University Scientific Research Projects Coordinatorship (BAP; BAP Application no: 2020724-11).
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the care package prevented catheter-associated urinary tract infection or incontinence. The intervention group had more reported infection symptoms, while urine culture growth, leukocyte values, and OAB-V8 scores did not show significant between-group differences. The pandemic period likely confused the symptom finding.