This article published by the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, discusses the background and impact of catheter associated urinary tract infections on the public. It references the cost, incidence, prevalence, and death rates nationally. The background information includes the pathogenesis of the infections that would contribute to the epidemiology portion of the background slide. The slide on evidence-based risk factors for CAUTI shows risk factors, both modifiable and non-modifiable, that contribute to the prevalence. Core …show more content…
It has a nice table on insertion and maintenance best practices. This article can contribute to the Evidence-based Practice Guideline portion of the improvement project. CAUTI is among those healthcare-associated infections targeted for significant improvement, based on evidence showing that more than 50 percent of these infections are preventable. Not all catheter use is avoidable, the goal of the major improvement projects is not the elimination of all catheter use. Instead, the goals have been the appropriate use of catheters and the safest possible management during the period when they are necessary. The concept of a “bundle” approach, the integrated and ideally synergistic effect of a group of straightforward, evidence-based practices, was introduced by the IHI in 2001 and first applied for CLABSI prevention.
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is the leading professional association for infection prevention. Most APIC members are nurses, physicians, public health professionals, epidemiologists, microbiologists, or medical technologists who collect, analyze, and interpret health data in order to track infection trends, plan appropriate interventions, measure success, and report relevant data to public health agencies. They also establish scientifically based infection prevention practices and collaborate with the healthcare team to assure