Feedback to nursing staff as an intervention to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
Because of high incidence of catheter-related urinary tract infections (UTIs) in our Veterans Affairs medical center, we began providing nursing staff with unit-specific UTI rates. In our preintervention period, the first quarter of 1995, 38 infections occurred in 1186 catheter-patient-days or 32/1000 catheter-patient-days (95% CI, 22.9-43.7). Thereafter, nursing staff members were provided with a quarterly report with catheter-related UTI rates depicted graphically by unit. In the 18 months after this intervention, the mean UTI rate decreased to 17.4/1000 catheter-patient-days (95% CI, 14.6-20.6, P =.002). We estimated a cost savings of $403,000. We conclude that unit-specific feedback of nosocomial UTI rates to nursing staff is a highly effective method of reducing infection rates and reducing costs associated with nosocomial UTI.
Goetz
A M
AM
VA Health Care System, PA, USA.
Kedzuf
S
S
Wagener
M
M
Muder
R R
RR
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005246:Feedback; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*