Long-term care facilities participating in a federal project led by the AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust reduced catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 54 percent, according to a study published this month in JAMA Internal Medicine. The project adapted the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program for use in long-term care facilities.
More than 400 facilities, including SDAHO members, participated in the project from March 2014 through Aug. 2016. Results indicated a reduction in CAUTI rates from 6.4 to 3.3 per 1,000 catheter days.
The project was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which developed a toolkit to help long-term care facilities reduce infections based on participants’ experiences.
