Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)

Summary

CAUTI is caused by germs that enter the urinary system through a tube that has been inserted into the bladder to drain urine. Urinary catheters are used in almost all hospital patients receiving major surgery and in many other situations.

Goal: The Partnership for Patients estimates that 40 percent of CAUTIs are preventable. The goal set for hospitals is to cut the number of these preventable events in half by 2013. This would prevent a total of 185,500 cases of CAUTI.

HRET, through a contract with AHRQ, and in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Quality and Safety Research Group and the Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and investigators from the University of Michigan are implementing a patient safety program to dramatically reduce CAUTI nationwide called Stop CAUTI.