Perception and attitudes of critical care nurses on external urinary catheter securement and the prevalence of securement devices in critically ill patients

Introduction: the literature describes the limited use of urinary catheter securement devices (UC). Critical care nurses (CCNs) consider UC security an important activity for nursing care. Our objective was to determine CCN perceptions and attitudes to external UC security and the prevalence of securement devices in seriously ill patients.

Materials and Methods: a cross-sectional observation study was carried out between the CCNs of southern Italy between May and July 2023. All CCNs with a probationary period of less than six months were excluded. Chi-square tests assessed the correlation between variables. The significance level was set to p> 0.05.

Results: a total of 77.6% (n=76) know UC securement devices, but only 43.9% (n=43) have these devices available in operational units. CCNs with security devices reported reduced urinary tract infections [(89.5 % n=42) compared to (10.6 % n=5), p=0.007] and patient comfort [(83%, n=60) versus (16.7%, n=12), p=0.02] and dislocation [(84.9%, n=62) versus (15.1%, n=11)]. Changes can be reduced according to CCNs with safety devices [56.2% (n=41) versus 43.8% (n=32), p=0.0001].

Conclusions: the results of this study will significantly contribute to incorporating this activity into standard nursing care and improving the quality of care. Future research should consider the potential effects of nursing care.