An Innovative Technique for Managing Female Urinary Incontinence in Acute and Critically Ill Women

Background:

Reducing the usage of indwelling urinary catheters is the leading prevention approach to decreasing hospital acquired urinary infections. Without a catheter some females may have urinary incontinence leading to sequelae of problems such as infection, skin injury, pain/discomfort, loss of dignity. Therefore prudent alternatives are needed for female urinary incontinence management. The purpose of this evaluation was two-fold: 1) to determine device functionality and to solicit ideas for device improvement 2) to explore workflow impact on nursing practice with use of a urine management system in acute and critically ill women.

 

Methods:

Data collection surveys were developed by content experts and distributed to nursing staff who utilized the device in one of four designated units in a tertiary academic medical center. The first survey was a five item Likert scale evaluation with a narrative section for comments on how to enhance the device wear and utilization. The second survey was a device utilization and experience survey created to examine nursing practice. This included 10 multiple choice items targeting initiation and management of device usage.

Results:

In the first survey, 100% of 13 nurses surveyed agreed that “This product helped to manage female urinary incontinence.” Other nursing staff reported that the device “worked really effectively & helped keep accurate output while maintaining skin integrity”. There were a total of 40 responses for the utilization and experience survey. 100% of the nurses documented appropriate urine output, minimal skin injuries, and overall appropriate management of the device.

 

Conclusion:

These findings suggest use of a urine management system as a viable alternative for female urinary incontinence in a broad range of patient sizes and body habitus; thus reducing the need for an indwelling urinary catheter. Increased nursing and patient satisfaction resulted as the urine management system was often requested from the patients.