SUBMITTED BY UNITED HOSPITAL CENTER:

 

One year ago, Sarah Rogers, RN, Critical Care at United Hospital Center (UHC), was offered the opportunity to join 240 hospitals nationwide to reduce Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) rates through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) program. Rogers seized the opportunity and recently presented at a conference in Chicago, UHC’s progress and program agenda to the AHRQ Safety Program: Preventing CLABSI/CAUTI.

 

UHC has a 20-bed critical care unit in a 292 bed regional, acute care hospital.  There was a need to find new ways of identifying use and care of catheters, alongside the need for change in culture around catheters within the Critical Care Unit. 

 

Rogers’ goal was to reduce the use of urinary catheters by 10 percent before January 2020 and expand education outside Critical Care. Her plan of action to achieve this goal was to proper assessment of need for urinary catheter, educating all staff about alternatives, creating a central location for alternatives and education, and engagement of surgeons.

 

Through continued daily tracking of urinary catheters and monitoring duration of urinary catheter placement, UHC saw a six percent reduction in the use of urinary catheters, 20 percent reduction in CAUTI rate and an increased use of more cost effective alternatives to urinary catheters. 

 

“Medical professionals at the conference were impressed with the outstanding progress UHC achieved,” said Rogers. “This could not have been executed without the help of my fellow critical care nurses at UHC. It is truly rewarding to have been instrumental in this quality improvement program for better patient outcomes.”