Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jan-Mar;40(1):39-45.
doi: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000811. Epub 2024 Oct 17.

Effectiveness of Nurse-Driven Protocols in Reducing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Liangliang Su  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effectiveness of Nurse-Driven Protocols in Reducing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Liangliang Su. J Nurs Care Qual. 2025 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Background: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are common health care-associated infections linked to indwelling urinary catheters. Nurse-driven protocols (NDPs) empower nurses to direct care without physician orders, potentially enhancing patient outcomes and reducing infection rates.

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of NDPs for preventing CAUTIs and reducing catheter utilization rates.

Methods: Databases searched included Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and others. Ten studies involving 27, 965 NDP-treated patients and 30, 230 controls were reviewed, examining catheter utilization rates and CAUTI incidence.

Results: Use of NDPs significantly lowered catheter utilization rates (34.84% vs 49.40%) and CAUTI incidence (2.867% vs 6.503%). Risk ratio analysis revealed a 29.48% decrease in catheter utilization and a 55.91% reduced CAUTI risk with NDP implementation.

Conclusions: Using NDPs demonstrate superior efficacy in reducing catheter use and CAUTI occurrence compared to traditional methods. Further research is warranted to solidify evidence-based nursing practices in this area.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Venkataraman R, Yadav U. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection: an overview. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2023;34(1):5-10. doi:10.1515/jbcpp-2022-0152 - DOI
    1. Shuman EK, Chenoweth CE. Urinary catheter-associated infections. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2018;32(4):885-897. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2018.07.002 - DOI
    1. Patel PK, Advani SD, Kofman AD, et al. Strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections in acute-care hospitals: 2022 Update. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2023;44(8):1209-1231. doi:10.1017/ice.2023.137 - DOI
    1. Smith DRM, Pouwels KB, Hopkins S, Naylor NR, Smieszek T, Robotham JV. Epidemiology, health-economic burden of urinary-catheter-associated infection in English NHS hospitals: a probabilistic modelling study. J Hosp Infect. 2019;103(1):44-54. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2019.04.010 - DOI
    1. Bagley K, Severud L. Preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections with incontinence management alternatives: pureWick and condom catheter. Nurs Clin North Am. 2021;56(3):413-425. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2021.05.002 - DOI

MeSH terms