Urinary tract infections account for approximately 40 percent of all hospital-acquired infections annually, with fully 80 percent of these hospital-acquired urinary tract infections attributable to indwelling urethral catheters. It is well established that the duration of catheterization is directly related to risk for developing a urinary tract infection (UTI). With a catheter in place, the daily risk of developing a UTI ranges from 3 percent to 7 percent.
Among the ten hospital-acquired conditions selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, catheter-associated UTI received a high priority due to its high cost and high volume, and because it can be reasonably prevented through application of accepted evidence-based prevention guidelines.
