Examination of intensive care nurses' knowledge and skill levels about permanent urinary catheterization

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge of intensive care nurses about the application and care of indwelling urinary catheterization. The study was conducted between December 2023 and January 2024. The study included nurses working in nine different intensive care units in Kayseri City Hospital and one intensive care unit where observations on the relevant subject were made. Within the scope of the study, 262 intensive care nurses were included in the study and voluntary participation was sought. "Descriptive Characteristics Form for Nurses", "Information Form on Indwelling Urinary Catheterization Care" and "Observation Form on Indwelling Urinary Catheterization Practice" prepared in line with the literature were used as data collection tools. A pre-application was made to the nurses to test the comprehensibility of the questions in the Information Form on Permanent Urinary Catheterization Care. As a result of the pre-application, the form was made ready by taking the suggestions of the nurses into consideration. The questionnaires used in the study consisted of a 16-question knowledge test and an observation form consisting of 16 application steps. When we look at the educational status of the nurses participating in the study, it was determined that the majority of them were undergraduate graduates. The age range of the participants was 21-50 years and the average age was 30.6 years. 57.6% of the nurses stated that they did not receive training on indwelling urinary catheter after graduation. The mean score of the nurses in the applied knowledge test was 43.75. According to the results of the knowledge test, it was determined that the nurses gave mostly correct answers to the urinary catheter number used in men, but generally gave incorrect answers to the question of how many cm the urinary catheter should be advanced from the urethral meatus and what to do when encountering resistance while inserting a urinary catheter. It was found that nurses lacked knowledge in the application of indwelling urinary catheters to male patients. In the observations regarding urinary catheter care made through the observation form, it was observed that the majority of the nurses provided hand hygiene before and after care, used gloves in care, and gave the patient an appropriate position before care. In addition, it was found that nurses had deficiencies in fixing the outer part of the catheter and controlling the contact of the urine bag with the ground. In this study, it was determined that nurses did not have sufficient knowledge about the application and care of indwelling urinary catheterization. In this context, it is recommended that nurses should be ensured to follow current evidence-based information, in-service trainings should be continued at regular intervals, and similar studies that reveal the current situation regarding the application of indwelling urinary catheterization should be conducted.