Patients knowledge and experience with urinary and peripheral intravenous catheters

Area of Science:

• Medical Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety
• Infection Control

Background:

• Inappropriate use of urinary and intravenous catheters is common, leading to serious complications like healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
• Patient involvement in quality improvement initiatives to reduce catheter use and associated HAIs remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate patient knowledge and experiences with urinary and peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs).
• To inform the design of patient interventions aimed at reducing inappropriate catheter use and subsequent HAIs.

Main Methods:

• A self-report questionnaire assessed patient knowledge and experiences.
• Data collected from patients with urinary and/or PIVCs during a quality improvement project baseline.

Main Results:

• 82 patients completed the survey; 49 had urinary catheters, 72 had PIVCs.
• Significant percentages of patients were unaware of catheter indications (20.9% urinary, 19.5% PIVC) and experienced symptoms (65.3% urinary, 37.5% PIVC).
• Few patients (25.5% urinary, 22.4% PIVC) would ask about catheter removal.

Conclusions:

• A substantial knowledge gap exists regarding catheter indications among patients.
• Patients experiencing catheter-related symptoms often do not proactively seek removal information.
• Enhanced patient-provider communication and interventions promoting active patient participation are crucial for reducing inappropriate catheter use and HAIs.