What nursing intervention is most beneficial in reducing the risk of urosepsis?

• A. Keep catheter in place longer to ensure drainage
• B. Encourage high fluid intake without catheter removal
• C. Apply antibiotic cream around insertion site
• D. Obtain a prescription for removal of the catheter as soon as possible

Answer: (D)

Minimizing exposure to urinary pathogens by removing the indwelling catheter as soon as it is no longer medically needed is the most effective way to reduce urosepsis risk. An indwelling catheter creates a continual entry point for bacteria and disrupts normal urinary tract defenses; the longer the catheter stays, the greater the chance that bacteria will ascend and potentially enter the bloodstream. Therefore, prompt removal limits this opportunity and lowers the risk of catheter-associated infection progressing to urosepsis.

Other approaches don’t address the core risk. Keeping the catheter in place longer sustains the infection risk. Encouraging high fluid intake without removing the catheter doesn’t prevent CAUTI and may not change the catheter-related colonization. Applying antibiotic cream around the insertion site is not a standard preventive measure for CAUTI and does not reduce the systemic infection risk associated with the device. Coordinating removal of the catheter as soon as feasible aligns with best practices to protect the patient from progression to urosepsis.