Date of Graduation

Summer 8-13-2026

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Program

MSN project

First Advisor

Jennifer Zesati, MSN, RN

Abstract

Objective: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are among the most common preventable healthcare-associated infections and are associated with significant patient harm and increased healthcare costs. Baseline assessment across five adult cardiovascular and critical care units within a community-based acute care hospital identified four CAUTI events during the first half of 2026 and revealed important nursing knowledge deficits related to bladder scanning protocols and urinary catheter management practices. Aim: This Quality Improvement (QI) Project aimed to improve nursing knowledge of evidence-based bladder scanning protocols and urinary catheter management practices through targeted educational interventions implemented over a 10-week period, with the goal of increasing average knowledge assessment scores by 20% while supporting CAUTI prevention efforts. Methods: Brief five-minute educational sessions were delivered across day and night shifts to registered nurses. Nursing knowledge was evaluated using anonymous pre- and post-intervention surveys, and changes in cumulative knowledge scores and individual domains were compared between independent (unpaired) samples. Results: A total of 211 nurses participated in the educational intervention, and 103 nurses completed the post-intervention survey. Overall cumulative knowledge scores increased from 78.0% to 84.1% representing a 6.1% improvement. Although the predetermined goal of a 20% improvement was not achieved, meaningful gains were observed across multiple targeted educational domains. Conclusion: Targeted educational interventions improved nurses’ application of evidence-based bladder scanning protocols and urinary catheter management practices while demonstrating the feasibility of integrating brief education into high-acuity clinical environments. Organization-wide adoption of the redesigned educational materials supports the sustainability and future expansion of this initiative.

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