Published Sep 12, 2006
Ann RN
221 Posts
It seems our hospital UTI rate is increasing. So to improve this, ALL nurses must be retaught (I say retaught because didn't we learn this in nursing school?) how to insert a foley. We must be signed off on this. Anyone who has already been signed off can "teach" you, even if that person is a student doing a summer internship. No actions are being taken for physicians. Does this bother anyone?
nursesarah
109 Posts
in my hospital, the majority of people that insert catheters are the nurses. so to answer your question, no it would not bother me for the nurses to receive the training. dont underestimate the knowledge of a student either. it is possible for them to teach a few things. you gotta remember, for a lot of students, they learned these skills recently. the "proper" way of doing them is pounded into their brain. whereas, an experienced nurse may have been inserting catheters for years, but were taught the correct way 20 yrs ago. now, im not saying this is a bad thing. but sometimes when you're in a rush, things like your sterile technique arent alway as sterile as it should be.
at any rate, its my opinion that a refresher course in a practical skill is never a bad thing. its those useless inservices that suck (you know...the ones that reiterate how the customer is always right, we're here to cater to their every whim, etc)
Tweety, BSN, RN
35,420 Posts
It would bother me because I'm a conscientious worker who washes his hands and knows how to insert a foley. I understand your feelings that with 30 years experience having to learn such a basic task from someone less experienced is a bit troublesome.
However, if in the end patients benefit, it's o.k. Even if an student nurses is the one teaching me, I have much to learn, so I would take it in stride. No harm done in taking a few minutes to check off a skill.
Vagon
18 Posts
I don't see anything wrong with it, really. Besides being a minor annoyance to nurses who already know how to do it it's a good thing. Nothing wrong with keeping your skills at top notch, eh?
Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN
12,126 Posts
The only thing that would bother me about it is that where i work, sometimes the docs will put in the foley before a case, and i would have a problem with the hospital making me take this inservice over again, and not the docs. Refreshers are not a bad idea, but make them for everyone that does them, if it's about infection control.
NotReady4PrimeTime, RN
5 Articles; 7,358 Posts
We recertify a lot of our skills every year. So no, I guess it wouldn't bother me.
moongirl
699 Posts
I watched VERY poor unsterile techinque from an experienced Cardiac Critical Care nurse on a foley insert, I was a first year, first semester student and I could have done way better. This was on a person who had coded and was on a vent, I am sure that he did NOT need the added stress of a very possible UTI from her sloppiness, so I say yes, what would a little refresher hurt anyone- its all good if it is for the pt benefit
vamedic4, EMT-P
1,061 Posts
A little re education is never a bad idea.
Jolie, BSN
6,375 Posts
This mandate has "RISK MANAGEMENT" written all over it!
Hospital administration is fearful that a high incidence of UTIs is going to be detrimental to the bottom line, either by way of lawsuits, un-reimbursed care, accreditation problems, negative public information pertaining to nosocomial infection rates, etc.
This is their way of addressing the issue to look good to potential plaintiffs, insurance companies, JCAHO, the public, etc. As many posters have pointed out, it is likely to be of limited effectiveness unless ALL personnel who insert and care for Foleys are inserviced, and proper standards of care are maintained.
Expect this type of action to be repeated with other problems as well, such as IV infiltrates, falls, etc.
acgemt
174 Posts
I don't see anything wrong with this. Think of it as an annual update or a refresher course. I always thought I was proficient in inserting foley cathethers...then I got two females back to back that I just couldn't find any easy way to insert the cathether. The second patient was so contracted, I wasn't even about to move her legs to get in there. I think that if a urologist gave an inservice on the proper ways of inserting foley cathethers and special tricks of the trade, then the incidences of UTIs and trauma to the perineal area will subside.
leslie :-D
11,191 Posts
who does the peri care on pts w/catheters?
i cringe whenever i see a catheter that has been contaminated w/feces.
all hcw in contact with foleys, should be mandated to take these refresher inservices.
leslie
grace90, LPN, LVN
763 Posts
Last night I had to insert a foley in a female patient who is a retired RN, and she said I did a really good job! :-) (and I got it on the first try!)