Better Health & Living: Article: Ask This and Avoid the #1 Hospital Infection

Issue: November 2008

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Ask This and Avoid the #1 Hospital Infection

by Sarí Harrar

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Forty percent of hospital-acquired infections are urinary tract infections (UTIs). Researchers say it’s no coincidence that one in four hospital patients has a catheter and that these tubes (which drain urine from the bladder) are often left in place too long, making it easy for bacteria to reach the bladder.

Now, University of Michigan researchers say patients and their families can play a role in fighting catheter overuse and UTIs. In a recent study of catheter safety practices in 719 hospitals, the scientists found that less than 10 percent of hospitals follow a simple safety rule: reminding doctors every day to assess whether a patient still needs a catheter. Instead, nearly half don’t track which patients have them, and three-fourths don’t keep tabs on how long they’ve been in place.

The study authors’ advice? If you or a loved one has a catheter in place for more than a day due to surgery, an emergency, a bladder obstruction, or the need to monitor urine output, speak up. “The bottom line for hospitalized patients and their families is if you have a catheter, ask the doctor or nurse every day if you really still need it,” says lead researcher Sanjay Saint, MPH, MD, director of the University of Michigan/Veterans Affairs Patient Safety Enhancement Program.