Nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in managing urinary incontinence in the acute care setting

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Gerontology
• Urology

Background:

• Urinary incontinence (UI) presents significant challenges in acute care settings, including increased costs and skin breakdown.
• Existing research predominantly addresses UI management in non-acute environments, leaving a gap in acute care understanding.
• Effective UI management is vital for patient well-being and efficient hospital discharge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state of acute care nurses' knowledge regarding urinary incontinence.
• To assess nurses' attitudes towards managing patients with UI in hospitals.
• To evaluate the practices employed by acute care nurses in addressing UI.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of studies focusing on UI in acute care settings.
• Analysis of research examining nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to UI.
• Synthesis of findings to identify trends and gaps in acute care nursing for UI.

Main Results:

• Findings indicate variability in nurses' knowledge levels concerning UI assessment and management.
• Attitudes towards UI care can influence the quality of interventions provided by nurses.
• Reported practices for UI management in acute care settings often lack standardization.

Conclusions:

• There is a need to enhance acute care nurses' education and training on urinary incontinence.
• Improving nurses' attitudes and standardizing practices are essential for optimal UI patient care.
• Further research is warranted to develop evidence-based guidelines for UI management in acute care.