Urinary catheterism: knowledge and adhesion to the control of infection by the nursing professionals

Abstract

The urinary infection is frequent in hospital internment and normally is in association with tract urinary’s instrumentation.  Our aim is to identify the knowledge and the adoption of the recommended behavior for prevention and control of infection in the handling and instrumentation of the urinary tract associated with the vesical catheter by the nursing professionals and to verify the existence of written routine and qualification in service. A descriptive study was carried through in six educational hospitals in the city of Goiânia-GO - Brazil in 2003. The data were obtained by means of interviews and 216 hours of direct observation, 67 professionals of the nursing team took part in the study. Relevant measures for the infection control, such as the hygienic cleaning of the hands is neglected. There is an uneveness between the knowledge and practice of the assistant/the technician of nursing with regard to the measures of prevention and infection control as for the catheter’s caring in the handling and of the draining system. The majority of the nurses knows and observes the basic procedures for the infection control in the execution of the catheterism of delay and relief. The qualification of the nursing professionals happens in a non-sistematic form. The majority of the services, possess protocol with the standardization of the urinary tract manipulation techniques. The data disclose the need of a bigger investment in the continued education so that simple and efficient measurements of the urinary infection control can be adopted.

Key words: Catheterism urinary; Infection; Nursing care.