A pilot study: fluid intake and bacteriuria in nursing home residents in southern Taiwan

The significance of bacteriuria or urinary tract infection in incontinent residents and the association with fluid intake has not been explored fully.

The aim of this study was to test whether or not increasing fluid intake changed the occurrence of bacteriuria in incontinent residents in nursing homes between baseline and 6-week follow-up.

A quasiexperimental study with pretest and posttest design was conducted in six nursing homes in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. A 6-week increasing fluid regimen (n = 44) was tested against the maintenance group (n = 30). The intake and output checklist was used to record residents' fluid intake, and bacteriuria was confirmed by a positive urine culture.

The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was 29.7% at baseline and 17.6% at the 6-week follow-up. Despite higher percentage of reduction in bacteriuria noted in the increasing group (15.9% vs. 6.7%), increasing fluid intake to reduce the occurrence of bacteriuria was not statistically supported.

Adequate amount of fluid intake, participants' characteristics, and components of a fluid regimen are major cautions in interpreting the preliminary results. Fluid intake could be the least harmful and the cheapest method to reduce susceptibility for bacteriuria. Combining behavioral approaches such as improving access to fluid or scheduled toileting may be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of bacteriuria in incontinent elders in nursing homes.