Your Resource for HQIC News and Learning Opportunities | May 2022
Preventing CAUTIs
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the most common healthcare-associated infection (HAI) reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).1 Many of these infections are preventable when providers adhere to fundamental infection control principles.2

The guidance in The Flash section below explores device utilization at the facility and unit level, explains how NHSN data can be used to target units with higher incidence of infections, and shares tools that assess factors that contribute to increases in CAUTI events.

HSAG HQIC certified infection preventionists are available to assist if you have any questions or need additional support with your CAUTI efforts. You can contact them through your Quality Advisor or email HospitalQuality@hsag.com. 
It Figures—Data and Performance
CAUTI Rates
Data show that the CAUTI rate, standardized infection ratio (SIR), and standardized utilization ratio (SUR) have worsened since the baseline period of 2019 (lower rates are better).

Visit the HSAG HQIC Quality Improvement Innovation Portal (QIIP) to view your CAUTI data by selecting the “Measure Category” of HAI—Device Associated and “Measure” of CAUTI Rate, CAUTI SIR, and CAUTI SUR. 
* Rates are per 1,000 urinary catheter days.
Source: NHSN. Valid as of 02/25/2022. For additional details on measure specifications, please reference the HSAG HQIC Compendium of Measures. The baseline time period is 01/01/2019–12/31/2019 and current time period is 02/01/2021–01/31/2022.
The Flash: Resources
The following resources are available to assist hospitals with CAUTI prevention.
HSAG HQIC TAP Strategy Overview
This strategy uses data for action to prevent HAIs by targeting locations with an excess burden of infections, assessing for gaps, and implementing prevention strategies. 
HSAG HQIC CAUTI Audit Tool
This tool was created to help hospitals monitor their use of Foley catheterization in an effort to reduce the incidence of CAUTIs.
HSAG HQIC Webinar: NHSN Acute Care Mapping and Leveraging the TAP Strategy
This webinar recording features experts from CDC NHSN, who use mapping guidance to determine acuity levels and analyze a facility's units to identify those with the most opportunity for improvement.
CDC NHSN SUR—A Guide to the SUR
This guide provides an overview of the SUR and how to interpret SURs in NHSN, the primary summary measure used to compare device utilization at the national, state, and facility level by tracking urinary catheter use to measure CAUTIs.
CDC CAUTI TAP Implementation Guide
This online guide covers processes, indications, and maintenance for indwelling urinary catheters.
AHRQ Toolkit for Preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in the ICU
This toolkit provides clinical and cultural guidance to make changes needed to decrease central-line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and CAUTI rates.
AHRQ = Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TAP = Targeted Assessment for Prevention
Critical Communication
Patient and Family Engagement with Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury (HAPI)
Involving patients and families in efforts to increase their safety and enhance their experience in hospitals has been disrupted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, facilities are re-engaging efforts to better include patients and families in their quality improvement process.

Patients and families can actively participate in the pressure injury prevention and care process by conducting skin inspections, practicing self-turning, and participating in mobility programs. They can contribute to HAPI improvement initiatives, such as sharing stories and participating in rounding. However, patients need to be educated on their diagnosis and risk of developing pressure injuries. The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) brochure is one of many educational tools that can be provided to patients and families during their hospital stay.
Events and Education
CMS HQIC Community of Practice Call: CLABSI Control and Reduction Efforts During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Thursday, May 12, 2022 | 1–2 p.m. ET
Join HSAG and the HQIC community as we summarize the impact of COVID-19 on CLABSI, discuss lessons learned, and review the importance of CLABSI best practices with facility-specific examples of how they have been able to control device utilization, bundle compliance, and healthcare-associated infections.
HSAG HQIC Quality and Safety Series
Offered on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, these bite-size learning presentations review the key skills necessary for you to function in quality improvement and are intended as a foundation for the novice or as a skills refresher for the expert.
HSAG Care Coordination Series
This series will walk you through the steps for managing avoidable hospital readmissions. Offered on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month.
HSAG Opioid Stewardship Program
Join HSAG in an action-based quickinar series to provide tactics, strategies, and information needed to implement a successful opioid stewardship program.
References
1 CDC Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections. https://www.cdc.gov/hai/ca_uti/uti.html
2 CDC Guideline for Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections. https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/cauti/index.html
This material was prepared by Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), a Hospital Quality Improvement Contractor (HQIC) under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. Publication No XS-HQIC-XT-05042022-01