As part of Medline's ERASE CAUTI program, created to help clinicians reduce the risk of urinary catheter-associated infections, the company announced several improvements to its advanced Foley catheter management system. Preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) reduces the estimated $4.5 billion to $6.65 billion the healthcare system spends each year on treating secondary and often unnecessary HAIs.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) account for 40 percent of all healthcare-associated infections according to the CDC. Urinary catheters are associated with the vast majority of those healthcare-acquired UTIs. The new 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, highlighted the fact that, unfortunately, postoperative catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) increased by 3.6 percent in the past year.
Medline's innovative catheterization kit revolutionized the design of an old product, the urinary catheter tray, to help the health care worker meet new demands: reducing healthcare-associated infections. How can a product re-design help? "Infections can happen due to poor technique or because the catheter is left in too long and the goal of the tray re-design is to help reduce variance in the procedure," said Lorri Downs, RN, BSN, MS, CIC, vice president of infection prevention for Medline. "By combining evidence-based technique and training with a revolutionary-designed tray, we are assisting the clinician in using a proven and safe method for catheter insertion and maintenance."
The new features of the ERASE CAUTI system include:
Clear Photography of Tray Contents: In Medline's new Foley catheter tray, the product instructions and clear color images are located on the outside to encourage the clinician to review the information before they start. To help identify the contents of the kit, the label features an actual color photo of the tray components. The photo can also be used to discuss the procedure with the patient. The outer label opens like a book and on the inside is a clear, step-by-step instructional guide to catheter insertion.
"Having the photograph and directions on the outer package before opening the sterile package is a great innovation," said Vi Philbrick, perioperative services educator at Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, Fla. "Practitioners can open the directions like a book, look at the picture and see the diagrams and know exactly what to do before ever opening the package."
Checklist that helps practitioners "do the right thing": The outer label contains "trigger tools," according to Downs, to promote the recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A checklist of clinical indications for catheterization is printed on a peel-off sticker. The reformatted checklist is small, making it easy to fit in the patient chart or medical record. It is also available in an electronic format for electronic documentation.
