Systematic review of nursing management of urinary tract infections in the cognitively impaired elderly client in residential care: is there a hole in holistic care?

A systematic review of the current literature available exposed the deficit in nursing research as a resource for planning strategies and procedures in the care of a urinary tract infection. The cognitively impaired older client living in residential care is at particular risk because of their inability to articulate their problems, the subtle presentation of symptoms and the overuse of antibiotic therapy that has led to an increase in resistant organisms. The fiscal responsibility now required by health authorities highlights the need for a more enlightened approach to this distressing condition from those registered nurses in the front line of care.