The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for a nosocomial urinary tract infection in intensive care units with a foley catheterization which showed a positive urine culture.

Three-hundred eighty-seven patients were included in the study. A retrospective review of the electrical medical record system's databases and medical record sheets in hospitalized patients from January 2003 to December 2003 was used. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis.

The frequency of the participants' nosocomial urinary tract infection was 72.9%. Significant risk factors for a nosocomial urinary tract infection were ‘age’, ‘place of catheter insertion’, ‘frequency of catheter change’, and ‘duration of catheterization’. These variables explained 18.4% of variance in the experience of nosocomial urinary tract infection in intensive care units with foley catheterization.

Medical personnel can decrease the incidence of a nosocomial urinary tract infection by recognizing and paying attention to the duration of catheterization, frequency of catheter change, and place of catheter insertion. As a result, specific and scrupulous strategies should be developed to reflect these factors for decreasing nosocomial urinary tract infections.