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Knowledge, attitude and practice in relation to catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention: A
Ivy Mong1, Vimala Ramoo1, Sasheela Ponnampalavanar2
1Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Insights
Nurses demonstrate good knowledge and positive attitudes towards preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). A positive attitude, more than knowledge, significantly influences nurses' perceived practice in CAUTI prevention.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare infection control
- Nursing practice and patient safety
- Epidemiology of hospital-acquired infections
Background:
- Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose significant risks to patient safety, morbidity, and mortality.
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the most prevalent HAIs globally.
- Nurses' knowledge and attitudes are critical determinants of effective urinary catheter care and CAUTI prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and perceived practice of nurses concerning CAUTI and its prevention strategies.
- To identify factors influencing nurses' practices in preventing CAUTIs.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was employed with 301 nurses from a Malaysian tertiary hospital.
- Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive statistics, t tests, ANOVA, and hierarchical multiple regression.
- Stratified and simple random sampling methods were used for participant recruitment.
Main Results:
- Nurses exhibited good knowledge, positive attitudes, and effective perceived practices in CAUTI prevention.
- Higher knowledge levels were associated with nurses over 30 years old and those with over ten years of experience.
- Attitude demonstrated a stronger influence on perceived practice than knowledge in CAUTI prevention.
Conclusions:
- Nurses' attitudes significantly impact their perceived practice in preventing CAUTIs.
- Educational interventions should prioritize fostering positive attitudes among nurses for enhanced CAUTI prevention.
- Future research should investigate actual nursing practices and their direct impact on patient outcomes.
Background:
Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is one of the major threats to patients' safety besides being among the principal causes of patient morbidity and mortality. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is reported to be the most common HAI worldwide. CAUTI can be prevented with appropriate practice and care by healthcare personnel, especially nurses, who play the main role in urinary catheter care. Nurses' knowledge and attitude are considered to be important factors that influence their practice.
Objectives:
To assess nurses' level of knowledge, attitude and perceived practice regarding CAUTI and its preventive measures.
Methods:
A cross-sectional design was adopted, and a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Nurses from the medical and surgical inpatient wards of a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia were recruited in two stages using the stratified and simple random sampling methods. A total of 301 nurses participated. Descriptive analysis, an independent t test, ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression were employed to analyse the data using SPSS software version 25. In addition, a STROBE checklist was used to report the results of this study.
Results:
Nurses were found to have good knowledge, a positive attitude and good perceived practice regarding CAUTI prevention. Nurses aged above 30 and who had more than ten years of experience reported higher knowledge levels. Knowledge was found to be positively correlated with attitude and perceived practice; however, attitude explained a higher variance in perceived practice of CAUTI prevention compared with knowledge.
Conclusion:
Attitude was found to have a higher significant influence on perceived practice in this study. Educators need to emphasise the inculcation of a positive attitude among nurses rather than just knowledge for CAUTI prevention. Since this study assessed perceived practice, examining nurses' actual practice and its impact on patient outcomes is recommended in future studies.
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