JAMA study: More hospitals using strategies to prevent CAUTI infections

More U.S. hospitals are using strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections over the past 20 years, a JAMA Network Open cross-sectional survey study found. Among VA hospitals, nurse-initiated urinary catheter discontinuation rose from 14.5% in 2009 to 37.8% in 2025, and urinary catheter reminders or discontinueuse orders rose from 11.1% in 2005 to 31.5% in 2025. Nonfederal hospitals’ nurse-initiated urinary catheter discontinuation increased from 11.3% in 2009 to 58.3% in 2025, and urinary catheter reminders or discontinue use orders increased from 9.1% in 2005 to 48.7% in 2025. An author said a challenge to continued improvement is reliably implementing these practices in busy, complex clinical environments. Researchers evaluated six survey waves of randomly selected hospitals conducted every four years from 2005 to 2025. (MedPage Today article, 10/7/26)