Comparing catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention programs between Veterans Affairs nursing homes and non–Veterans Affairs nursing homes.

Mody L, Greene MT, Saint S, et al. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2017;38:287-293.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services no longer reimburses hospitals for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), considered a form of preventable harm to patients. Although research in the hospital setting has shown that preventing CAUTIs is possible, little is known about how health care system integration affects the success of infection prevention initiatives. Researchers queried US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing homes and non-VA nursing homes participating in the AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care collaborative, hypothesizing that those within the integrated VA system would have a more developed infection prevention infrastructure. Out of 494 nursing homes surveyed, 353 responded. A greater proportion of VA nursing homes reported tracking and sharing of CAUTI data, but more non-VA nursing homes had developed policies around catheter use and insertion. The authors conclude that VA and non-VA nursing homes can share best practices so that they can be broadly applied. A past PSNet interview discussed CAUTI prevention.

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