We are working on getting the interactive GPS back online ASAP. In the meantime, a full, PDF version of this GPS is also available, as is a PDF compilation of many of the resources available on this site.

For over two decades, our multi-disciplinary research team has received funding support from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to better understand why some hospitals are more successful than others in preventing device-associated infection. This work includes conducting qualitative assessments of a total of 43 hospitals across the United States. In total, we have conducted 400 interviews of personnel at various levels within the organizations, from chief executive officers to front-line nurses and physicians.

From these interviews, we found that a handful of critical issues seemed to arise irrespective of a hospital’s location or size. While some were technical issues (collecting data and assessing catheter necessity), many were related to common barriers to effective CAUTI prevention (e.g., lack of a physician champion, nursing resistance, poor leadership support). Understanding that while useful, in person visits are both time-consuming and resource-intensive, we thus began work on a self-administered list of questions (the CAUTI Guide to Patient Safety, or “GPS”) that could be completed by key informants to help guide their hospital’s approach to CAUTI prevention.

We developed the GPS initially for hospitals that have already initiated some CAUTI prevention activities, but have fallen short of their desired success. Having begun the implementation process, they are more likely to be aware of the challenges at their site. To find out more about key aspects of CAUTI prevention and identify possible opportunities for improvement at your hospital, please see below.