The incidence of nosocomial urinary tract infections: Kenyatta National Hospital - intensive care unit

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTls) are the most common nosocomial infections in both acute care settings and long-term care facilities. Each year millions of urethral catheters are put in place in these facilities across the United States. In the acute care settings a vast majority of UTIs occur in patients with temporary urinary catheters. Nosocomial catheter-associated urinary tract infections (NCAUTls) have been one of the major problems in the Intensive care unit (ICU) and have contributed to the mortality and morbidity of the patients. Efforts to contain the problem have resulted in the introduction of guidelines to reduce the incidence and prevalence of the nosocomial UTI. Such measures have been implemented in the developed world; unfortunately the developing countries have notduplicated the same. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Urine samples were collected and analyzed in the laboratory for growth of microorganisms to determine the incidence of NCAUTls. The findings of the study indicate that the Incidence of NCAUTI was determined to be 18% with the common isolated microorganism being Escherichia coli. It recommended that there was need for judicious use of antibiotics to prevent drug resistance and that a procedure and policy on the management of a patient with a urinary catheter should be developed and made available for, use In the lCU.