| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2639250 | American Journal of Infection Control | 2010 | 5 Pages |
BackgroundCatheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI) is the most common health care–associated infection. Instrumentation of the urinary tract, mainly urinary catheterization, is the most important risk factor for CA-UTI. It is believed that proper catheter management can reduce the incidence of CA-UTI.MethodsThis was a prospective preintervention and postintervention study conducted to assess the effect of an intervention aimed at preventing CA-UTI. A reminder sticker was placed on each patient’s medical record binder to remind the physicians to consider discontinuing any unnecessary urinary catheters.ResultsThere was a statistically significant increase in the number of appropriately retained urinary catheters at 3 months (57% vs 73%; P = .007) and 6 months postintervention (57% vs 86%; P < .001). There was also a statistically significant reduction in the rate of CA-UTI after 3 months (7.02 vs 2.08; P < .001) and 6 months postintervention (7.02 vs 2.72; P < .001).ConclusionA simple intervention using a sticker placed on patients’ medical record binder to remind physicians to remove unnecessary urinary catheters can significantly increase the appropriate utilization of urinary catheters and decrease the rate of CA-UTI in community teaching hospitals.
