NURSING ACTIONS IN THE PREVENTION OF INFECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF CATHETERS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Abstract

Introduction: Infections related to the use of catheters in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) represent a reality of high rates, which are consolidated as a public health problem of which the nursing team characterizes itself as a potential transforming agent from the establishment of specific care measures with these devices. Objective: To clarify the nurses’ actions in the prevention of infections associated with the use of catheters in the ICU. Methodology: Descriptive study of the integrative review type carried out in the years 2015 to 2019, from March to May, in the databases MEDLINE, LILACS and BDENF. Elaborated from 6 stages. The analysis of the studies was done by reading titles, abstracts and complete articles, once they answered the determined objective. Subsequently, the synthesis of the results was presented in tables, followed by the discussion based on thematic categories identified through the Content Analysis Technique. Results: Through the selected studies, it was observed a range of good practices that can be used by nursing in guaranteeing the quality of care with the devices, whether they refer to the technical aspects of handling or not, such as hand hygiene, use of PPE’s, double checking, disinfection strategies, good communication between professionals and methods to work on factors that interfere in the handling of catheters, such as stress, insecurity and exhaustion. Conclusions: It is suggested to intensify the standardization of bundles and measurement protocols, as well as to improve their coverage, so that they consider the various stages of handling the catheters. There is a need to understand a set of factors that interfere with adherence and dissemination of good nursing practices in this context. It is emphasized the need for studies that detail in-depth the implementation of good practices, and discuss factors that affect the success of their implementation.

Keywords: Catheter-related infections; Intensive Care Units; Nursing care.