Hospitals lag in preventing infection

Forty percent of U.S. hospital-acquired infections are urinary tract infections, but less than 10 percent of hospitals have an approach to reduce UTIs.A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found most hospitals aren't using basic tactics to keep patients from getting catheter-related UTIs and nearly one-third of hospitals don't track UTI rates.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and the Veterans Administration Ann Arbor Healthcare System found nearly half of hospitals lack a system to tell which patients currently have a catheter, and three-quarters lack a system that tracks how long a patient has had a catheter or whether one has been removed.

The survey asked about practices used to prevent hospital-acquired UTIs including: the use of catheters coated with anti-microbial agents that inhibit bacterial growth; the use of condom-style catheters that reduce the risk of bacteria entering the urethra; the use of anti-microbial agents in drainage bags that collect urine; and the use of portable ultrasound bladder scanners to see if patients' bladders were being emptied without a catheter.Lead author Dr.

Sanjay Saint said less than one-third of hospitals used bladder scanners and anti-microbial catheters, the most common methods to reduce UTIs."For hospitalized patients, if you have a catheter, ask the doctor or nurse every day if you really still need it," Saint said in a statement