Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most commonly occurring nosocomial infections (constituting 40% of these types of infections). About one million patients in acute-care hospitals annually develop nosocomial UTIs, and about 80% of these are associated with the use of indwelling urinary catheters.1-5 Thus, the use of these devices has become a necessary evil when managing patients who are acutely and chronically ill.

Three years ago, our large, academic institution decided that its catheter-associated UTI rate was too high, and we decided to develop an aggressive UTI-Reduction Project. A key factor in the success of this project was the integration of a bladder ultrasound device.

This article examines the prevention and occurrence of UTIs and provides a description of the steps we took to assess and lower our facility’s infection rate.