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. 2019 Jul 10;8(3):e000563.
doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2018-000563. eCollection 2019.

Reducing urinary tract infections in care homes by improving hydration

Katie Lean  1 , Rasanat Fatima Nawaz  1   2 , Sundus Jawad  3 , Charles Vincent  2
Affiliations

Reducing urinary tract infections in care homes by improving hydration

Katie Lean et al. BMJ Open Qual. .

Abstract

Dehydration may increase the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs), which can lead to confusion, falls, acute kidney injury and hospital admission. We aimed to reduce the number of UTIs in care home residents which require admission to hospital. The principal intervention was the introduction of seven structured drink rounds every day accompanied by staff training and raising awareness. UTIs requiring antibiotics reduced by 58% and UTIs requiring hospital admissions reduced by 36%, when averaged across the four care homes. Care home residents benefited from greater fluid intake, which in turn may have reduced infection. Structured drink rounds were a low-cost intervention for preventing UTIs and implemented easily by care staff.

Keywords: antibiotic management; healthcare quality improvement; nurses; nursing homes; patient-centred care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of the project illustrating when baseline data were collected, implementation of Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles and different phases of the project; preparatory, intervention and sustainability. UTI = urinary tract infection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average monthly numbers of urinary tract infections (UTIs) requiring antibiotics during the baseline, intervention and sustainability phase.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Average number of hospital admissions for urinary tract infections (UTIs) during the baseline, intervention and sustainability phase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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