Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Background: Referral of residents with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) to hospital are common. However, there is limited information on what influences Registered Nurses’ (RN) decision-making process. Aim: To investigate resident factors that influence R...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
SAGE
2020
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81071 |
| _version_ | 1848764311204265984 |
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| author | Kosheleva, Ludmila Ngune, Irene |
| author_facet | Kosheleva, Ludmila Ngune, Irene |
| author_sort | Kosheleva, Ludmila |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: Referral of residents with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) to
hospital are common. However, there is limited information on what influences Registered Nurses’ (RN) decision-making
process. Aim: To investigate resident factors that influence RN’s decisions to escalate care. Design: A retrospective
cohort approach audited electronic clinical records of residents with UTIs. Methods: Data were extracted from the
electronic database and analyzed using descriptive and regression analysis. Approval was obtained from both the RACFs
and University Human Research Ethics Committee. Results: There was a higher likelihood of being referred to hospital
if residents were female, had had a past fall, had related comorbidity, or had abnormal vital signs. However, being older
and having a urinary catheter were protective factors for referral by the RN. Conclusion: Referral of residents with UTIs
by RNs to hospital is common in RACFs. Resident characteristics such as abnormal vital signs, past falls, and presence
of comorbidity influence referrals by RNs. Nurse Practitioners dedicated to the RACFs could complement the role of a
general practitioner. UTI-specific escalation protocols can assist RNs to make decisions about referrals. RNs’ related risk
factors also need to be examined to understand other influencing factors. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:17:20Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-81071 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:17:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | SAGE |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-810712021-01-07T07:46:46Z Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study Kosheleva, Ludmila Ngune, Irene Background: Referral of residents with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) to hospital are common. However, there is limited information on what influences Registered Nurses’ (RN) decision-making process. Aim: To investigate resident factors that influence RN’s decisions to escalate care. Design: A retrospective cohort approach audited electronic clinical records of residents with UTIs. Methods: Data were extracted from the electronic database and analyzed using descriptive and regression analysis. Approval was obtained from both the RACFs and University Human Research Ethics Committee. Results: There was a higher likelihood of being referred to hospital if residents were female, had had a past fall, had related comorbidity, or had abnormal vital signs. However, being older and having a urinary catheter were protective factors for referral by the RN. Conclusion: Referral of residents with UTIs by RNs to hospital is common in RACFs. Resident characteristics such as abnormal vital signs, past falls, and presence of comorbidity influence referrals by RNs. Nurse Practitioners dedicated to the RACFs could complement the role of a general practitioner. UTI-specific escalation protocols can assist RNs to make decisions about referrals. RNs’ related risk factors also need to be examined to understand other influencing factors. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81071 10.1177/2150132720957441 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ SAGE fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Kosheleva, Ludmila Ngune, Irene Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title | Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_full | Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_fullStr | Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_short | Registered Nurses’ Decisions Around Referral of Residents With Urinary Tract Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_sort | registered nurses’ decisions around referral of residents with urinary tract infections: a retrospective cohort study |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81071 |