Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection
Hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (HAUTIs) make
up 40% of HAIs with an estimated cost of $1200 to over
$2700 per episode.199 Approximately 80% of HAUTIs are
catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs).200
In ICUs, where placement of Foley catheters is common,
the incidence rate ranges from 3.1 to 7.4 CAUTIs per 1000
urinary catheter days.201
Results from a survey of 441 hospitals suggest that little
attention had been focused on CAUTI prevention in
ICUs in the United States.202 To address this gap, multiple
public policy incentives and private sector quality initiatives
have been introduced to help reduce the rate of CAUTIs
and its resultant morbidity, mortality, and cost. For
instance, hospitals are held accountable by nonpayment
for CAUTIs from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services.202 In 2011, The Joint Commission included the
implementation of evidence-based practices to prevent
CAUTIs as one of its 2012 National Patient Safety Goals.203
This year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid enacted
public reporting of CAUTI rates through its Hospital Inpatient
Quality Reporting Program beginning in 2014