Clinical Scorecard: Consensus Recommendations for Preventive Measures Against Hospital-Onset Urinary Tract Infections
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Hospital-onset urinary tract infections (HOUTIs), including catheter-associated (CAUTI) and non-catheter-associated UTI (non-CAUTI)
Key Mechanisms
Indwelling urinary catheters as a common device leading to CAUTIs; lack of standardized definitions and surveillance for non-CAUTIs
Target Population
Adult hospitalized patients
Care Setting
Hospital and acute care settings
Key Highlights
CAUTI prevention strategies are well established, but non-CAUTI HOUTIs lack standardized definitions, surveillance, and targeted interventions.
Non-CAUTI HOUTIs are more prevalent than CAUTIs and cause three times the number of secondary hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia.
Consensus recommendations provide a structured, scalable framework harmonizing CAUTI best practices with expert consensus on non-CAUTI prevention.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Establish systems to define, analyze, and report non-CAUTI HOUTIs including those associated with alternative urinary devices.
Use standardized surveillance protocols for both CAUTI and non-CAUTI HOUTIs to improve detection and benchmarking.
Management
Implement evidence-based interventions targeting both CAUTI and non-CAUTI prevention.
Harmonize existing CAUTI prevention strategies with expert consensus recommendations for non-CAUTI management.
Monitoring & Follow-up
Conduct ongoing surveillance of all HOUTIs, not limited to CAUTI, to identify infection trends and evaluate prevention efforts.
Incorporate provider training and outcome assessment as part of continuous quality improvement.
Risks
Recognize that focusing solely on CAUTI underestimates the true burden of HOUTIs and limits prevention opportunities.
Address the increased risk of antimicrobial resistance and prolonged hospital stays associated with CAUTIs.
Patient & Prescribing Data
Adult hospitalized patients with or without indwelling urinary catheters
Prevention strategies should address both catheter-associated and non-catheter-associated infections to reduce morbidity and healthcare resource utilization.
Clinical Best Practices
Utilize a multidisciplinary approach involving infectious diseases, infection prevention, microbiology, urology, urogynecology, and nursing experts.
Adopt a Delphi consensus method to develop and refine prevention strategies based on current evidence and expert opinion.
Prioritize research and surveillance efforts on non-CAUTI HOUTIs to fill existing knowledge gaps.
by Edward J Septimus, Lily A Arya, Rebecca Crapanzano-Sigafoos, Roger Dmochowski, Opal Dy, JoAnn Emer-Seltun, Sandra Engberg, Robert Garcia, Mikel Gray, Michael Kennelly, Sarah Krein, Jennifer Meddings, Rekha Murthy, Diane K Newman, AnnMarie Pettis, Sara Reese, Emily Sidlow, Kathleen Vollman
