AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care: HAIs/CAUTI
Resident Days
- Every day a resident (with or without a catheter) is in your facility = one resident day.
- Collect at the same time, each day of the month.
Number of Urine Cultures
This includes urine cultures collected for every resident (i.e., with or without catheters) each month.
Number of CAUTIs
- CAUTI is counted on the first day that the cluster of signs and symptoms, lab reports, and the presence of a catheter for more than 2 consecutive days are found together.
- A CAUTI event might continue for days or even weeks, but it is counted only once, not each consecutive day.
- Note that a resident may have multiple CAUTI events in one month.
Catheter Days
Every day a resident has an indwelling urinary catheter = one catheter day.
- Catheter needs to stay in place (i.e., not an in and out catheterization).
- Catheter is through the urethra (i.e., not suprapubic or urostomies).
- Collect at the same time each day of the month.
Example:
A facility has seven residents with indwelling urinary catheters for the month of June. During the midnight census the data to the right are collected:
| Resident | Days with Catheter |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 30 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 12 |
| 6 | 7 |
| 7 | 4 |
(30x3)+10+12+7+4 = 123 catheter days
Remember: Data help you determine your progress!
Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
