catheter associated urinary tract infections

why is this a priority for us?

• Catheters are used to drain bladders and measure urine volumes
• When a catheter is inserted, or remains in place for a lengthy period of time there is an increased risk for developing infection

who’s at greatest risk?

• Patients who require urinary catheters for a prolonged period
• Patients who are diapered
• Patients who need to be transported between units when the drainage bag might be placed above the patient’s bladder

what are we doing to help reduce infections?

• We ask daily if the catheter is still needed and remove it as soon as it is not
• Use sterile technique when placing the catheter
• Daily cleanse the area around the catheter
• Make sure the bag holding the urine is kept below the bladder so there is no back flow of urine
• Maintain good hand hygiene

what do we measure?

• We measure the number of urinary tract infections in patients with catheters per 1000 catheter days