CAUTI collaborative joined by Kansas intensive care units

As part of the On the CUSP: Stop CAUTI program, 17 Kansas hospitals participated in a nine-month quality improvement project focused on preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting from December 2014 through August 2015.

On the CUSP: Stop CAUTI is a leading national safety program using the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP). It is an initiative of the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) of the American Hospital Association (AHA), in partnership with many other significant national organizations in critical care and CAUTI prevention. The project is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

In hospitals, health care-associated infections account for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths each year. The urinary tract is the most common type of health care-associated infection. As many as one-fourth of all hospital inpatients may have a short-term, indwelling urinary catheter placed during their hospital stay. Each year, more than 13,000 deaths are associated with UTIs.

CAUTI reduction is a quickly growing priority. Recent expansions in public reporting, policies of non-payment for hospital-acquired conditions, and the emphasis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections are all impelling factors in the fight to reduce CAUTI. Each CAUTI adds approximately $500 to $1000 to the cost of patient care.