Original articleImplementation of electronic surveillance of catheter use and catheter-associated urinary tract infection at Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) hospitals

BackgroundManual surveillance of indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) is resource intense.MethodsWe implemented electronic surveillance in nonintensive care units of Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) hospitals. Capacity was created centrally to analyze data collected electronically or manually at each site. We measured the average IUC duration and proportion of patients with IUC duration <3 days. CAUTIs were identified using a validated algorithm based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition and used to calculate rates and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs).ResultsElectronic surveillance was implemented in 25 units at 20 NICHE hospitals. Full automation was achieved at 15 of 16 sites with electronic health records (EHRs). Electronic surveillance challenges included EHR data element formats and IUC documentation. Study units reported on 4,574 patients for 16,105 IUC days over a 6-month period. The mean of the unit-level average IUC duration was 3.2 ± 2.6 days, mean proportion of patients with IUC duration <3 days was 52.4% ± 50%, and mean CAUTI SIR was 0.14 ± 0.31.ConclusionA centralized electronic surveillance strategy for CAUTI is feasible and sustainable. Baseline performance of participating sites was exemplary, with very low SIRs at baseline.