Nurses’ knowledge of catheter-related infections

Abstract

Background. Intensive care units admit critically ill patients. Most often they are in a life-threatening condition and so they are subject to multidirectional treatment, which is their only chance to survive. Placing central vascular catheter is the most common procedure in the said units. However, additional serious risk of complications connected with the vascular catheters may occur while inserting and using them. Infectious complications increase mortality, prolong time of being in a hospital and significantly increase costs of treatment. What is most alarming is that over half of the said infections are caused by medical staff mistakes which could have been avoided if all who care for those patients had been appropriately trained. Objectives. The purpose of the study is to obtain information about intensive care nurses’ knowledge of catheter-related infections, preventive treatment and interruption of routes of microbial transmission. Essential element of the study is also to investigate whether nurses’ knowledge influences following nursing procedures. Material and methods. 75 nurses working in two intensive care units for adults and intensive cardiology care unit took part in a survey, prepared for this purpose. Results and Conclusions. Nurses’ knowledge of catheter-related infections is insufficient. It is especially important to introduce training courses for personnel in washing and disinfecting hands and using sterile gloves while changing dressing on central venous catheter. The survey also showed the need to educate personnel on changing central venous catheter’s instrumentation (caps, drains, intravenous fluids and CVP measurement sets) and frequency of changing dressing on the insertion. The knowledge of all these procedures and their following would certainly lead to a decrease in the frequency of catheter-related infections.