AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care: Preventing CAUTI and Other HAIs

This project focuses on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) and other HAIs in nursing homes and long-term-care facilities.

Between 1 million and 3 million healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) strike nursing home residents annually, contributing to nearly 400,000 deaths each year. Urinary tract infection is a common HAI in these facilities and is a major reason residents are hospitalized.

Preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) in all health care settings is a top priority for AHRQ. The AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care: CAUTI focuses on reducing these infections and other HAIs in nursing homes and long-term-care facilities. The program teaches proven methods for preventing CAUTI and ways to incorporate these methods into a facility's regular procedures so that safety becomes the norm.

This program is based on AHRQ's Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP).

Project and Resources

Project

This is a three-year implementation project that began in late 2013 and is scheduled to end in late 2016. All facilities enrolled in the program will participate for approximately 12 months in a group or "cohort." The project includes multiple cohorts. Participating facilities receive tailored training on prevention practices and receive tools and resources to help them implement these practices. Facilities also have access to peer-to-peer learning opportunities and project support for data collection, reporting, and progress monitoring.

Resources

This project will generate a number of resources to help long-term care facilities prevent and control CAUTIs and other HAIs. Resources will include tools, presentation slides, facilitator notes, and videos that explain how to engage senior leaders as well as residents and their families, empower staff, improve teamwork and communication, and sustain efforts over time. At the end of the project, AHRQ will create a toolkit that includes these and other materials.

National Project Team

The Safety Program for Long-Term Care: CAUTI is led by the Health Research & Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association. To contact the national project team of the AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care: CAUTI, Emailltcsafety@aha.org.

Current as of July 2014

Internet Citation: AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care: Preventing CAUTI and Other HAIs. July 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/quality-resources/tools/cauti-ltc/index.html