Background: Within the United States health care system, one of the most common procedures performed daily is urinary catheterization. Oftentimes, the urinary catheter is placed by nursing personnel without any difficulty. Although the procedure is usually simple and routine, there are instances in which placement can be problematic.
Local problem: Urology is one of the smallest surgical subspecialties, with intermittent availability given active commitments in the operating room and clinic. This opened an opportunity for nurse practitioners (NPs) at an urban quaternary care hospital to further enhance their skill set in the care of these patients.
Methods: Fifteen Rapid Response Team NPs were selected based on specific criteria. Their roles expanded to include consults for difficult urinary catheter insertions.
Intervention: A 2-step training program was implemented for NPs to develop proficiency in inserting urinary catheters in patients with new or known urologic conditions.
Results: Of the 391 catheter consults made to the NP group, 73 (18.7%) of them required urology follow-up.
Conclusion: This program can benefit patients by potentially reducing catheter-related complications and associated length of stay.
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