Urinary tract infections are the most common type of healthcare-associated infection in the U.S. For hospitals looking to combat UTIs, a recent study published in the American Journal of Infection Control highlights an intervention that was successful for nearly a decade.
The authors of the study evaluated prospective UTI surveillance from November 2009 to January 2010, and compared the results against a two-year sustainability assessment performed in 2004. All total, 336 consecutive patients were included in the study.
A urinary catheter was placed in 17.6 percent of patients, compared to 20 percent in 2004. The UTI incidence rate fell from 2.6 per 1,000 patient days in 2004 to 2.4 per 1,000 patient days in 2010.
"The intervention effect was sustained with regard to overall UTI rate and [urinary catheter] placement in the [operating room], but less in the [postanesthesia care unit] and [surgical wards," the study concluded.
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