Abstract:
Using a Portable BladderScan® to Reduce
the Incidence of Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections
Denise Ann Moore
and Kathleen Edwards. "Using a Portable BladderScan
to Reduce the Incidence of Nosocomial Urinary Tract
Infections." MEDSURG Nursing 6 (February 1997)
1: 39-43.
Objectives:
* To assess the effectiveness of the BladderScan in
reducing rates of UTI, and to report the expenditures
and savings attributable to BladderScan use.
Methods:
* The study took place over a period of twelve months
in two units of a Maryland hospital. Participants included
patients who had undergone either orthopaedic or genitourinary
procedures.
* Bladder volume was determined by ultrasound in place
of intermittent urethral catheterization.
Results:
* The hospital had an overall 50% decrease in UTIs.
* After using
the BladderScan two-hundred times, the expenditures
for its purchase would be retrieved due to the reduction
of UTI associated with intermitent catheterization.
(The incidence of UTI necessitates a longer hospital
stay for the patient, at an average cost of $680 for
every patient who develops a catheter-related infection.)
Conclusions:
* Nosocomial UTIs and associated care costs were significantly
reduced due to BladderScan use.
* "The BladderScan is convenient, requires no patient
preparation, and is easy to use."
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