Content area
Full Text
Continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) is an established procedure designed to prevent the formation and retention of blood clots following transurethral prostatectomy (TURP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate a tool designed to determine what steps the nurse should follow to assess whether a catheter is blocked and the actions to be taken to restore catheter patency for CBI.
To achieve continuous irrigation of the bladder, the procedure requires inserting a three-way Foley catheter that permits continuous flushing and drainage of the bladder. This procedure is commonly prescribed for 24 hours as part of postoperative care following transurethral resection. Bladder irrigation is not to be taken lightly by nurses because of the risks of immediate complications such as postoperative bleeding, clot retention, genitourinary infection, and failure to void due to hypotonic bladder (Mebust, Holtgrewe, Cockett, & Peters, 1989). A blocked catheter resulting from clot retention following transurethral prostatectomy (TURF) is a common complication (Gilbert & Gobbi, 1989). Nurses must ascertain the extent of blockage before taking appropriate interventions to overcome the problem. The extent to which practicing nurses possess the necessary assessment and intervention skills to undertake this type of nursing procedure has not been studied.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this research was to study a tool which consisted of a prioritized list of steps taken to assess whether a catheter is blocked and the actions taken to restore catheter patency for continuous bladder irrigation. This instrument was developed by a panel of expert urologic nurses based on a written simulation of a patient requiring continuous bladder irrigation following TURF. The tool was then distributed to a purposive sample of registered nurses to prioritize the list of steps practicing nurses would take to assess whether or not a catheter is blocked and the interventions needed to restore catheter patency. The process of testing the tool on a sample of RNs was designed to determine if there is a correlation between the experts' and practicing nurses' ranking in assessing a blocked catheter and appropriate actions taken to unblock the catheter. This study was not intended to be a psychometric evaluation of actual assessments or actions performed.
Research Objectives
1. To identify practicing nurses' perception of the assessment indicators of a blocked...