Clinical Practice

SUNA joined the American Association for Homecare; United Spinal Association; Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society; and Wound Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board to develop a white paper to educate payers and state Medicaid programs on the types of intermittent catheter products and services needed to successfully manage an individual’s urinary retention needs in a home-based setting to improve patient experience, health outcomes, and reduce overall cost.

The following resources were first published in the March/April 2021 issue of Urologic Nursing. Click on the title to download the resource.

SUNA collaborated with the American Urological Association on the development of three white papers on optimizing outcomes for patients before, during, and following urologic surgery:

The Prostate Cancer Patient Guide is a comprehensive resource on diagnosis, treatment, side effects, and risk factors for patients and families with a history of prostate cancer. Developed by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the guide is designed for any man newly diagnosed with or in treatment for prostate cancer, and for family members seeking information about prostate cancer patient navigation as well as their own short- and long-term risks factors for prostate cancer.

The Flexible Cystoscopy: Training & Assessment Guideline and Flexible Cystoscopy: Performance Criteria, Training & Assessment Logbook have become the universal training package in using a flexible cystoscope. Created by our British colleagues, the British Association of Urological Nurses (BAUN) and the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS), these free evidence-based guidelines are available for download on the BAUS website.

SUNA supports nurse practitioners (NPs) performing office-based cystoscopy procedures (with training as outlined by Quallich et al. [2019]) as a vital way to address the need for access to quality urologic care. SUNA also acknowledges that in the past, NPs have been safely trained on-the-job to perform cystoscopy, but feels that moving forward, training can proceed with a more uniform, standardized approach.

Recognizing that nurse practitioners and physician assistants play a key role in team-based delivery of care, the American Urological Association has developed a Consensus Statement on Advanced Practice Providers. The Consensus Statement examines advanced practice provider integration from a regulatory and practice management approach. The Consensus Statement was developed by a workgroup featuring a diverse set of urologic providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Susanne Quallich, ANP-BC, NP-C CUNP, FAANP, represented SUNA on the workgroup.

The European Association of Urology Nurses (EAUN) released a new Evidence-Based Guideline for Best Practice in Urological Healthcare at the 16th International EAUN Meeting in Madrid in March 2015. The guideline is entitled Intravesical Instillation with Mitomycin C or Bacillus Calmette-Guérin in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer. Access the guideline at the link below.

Download the Guideline

The American Urological Association (AUA) has developed a White Paper on Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: Definitions and Significance in the Urologic Patient. A white paper workgroup organized by the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee and led by Dr. Timothy Averch drafted the paper, which was approved by the AUA Board of Directors in October 2014. Diane K. Newman, DNP, FAAN, BCB-PMD, represented SUNA on the workgroup.