Our Panel of Experts

Ask the Experts About Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)

Urinary tract infections account for approximately 40% of all hospital-acquired infections annually and fully 80% of these can be attributed to indwelling urethral catheters. In the US, up to 5 million urinary catheters are placed annually. Between 12% and 25% of all hospitalized patients will receive a urinary catheter during their hospital stay, and up to half of these do not have an appropriate indication.

On October 1, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) put into effect a new rule that states that, if a patient develops a CAUTI while hospitalized, the hospital will not be reimbursed for the UTI complication. Among the 10 hospital-acquired conditions selected by CMS, CAUTI received a high priority due to its high cost and high volume, and because it can be reasonably prevented through application of accepted evidence-based prevention guidelines.

Perspectives has assembled a panel of experts in epidemiology, infection control and nursing to help other clinicians reduce the levels of CAUTI. Clinicians from facilities across the country can ask questions of our panel of experts via email.

Here are the criteria for asking questions from our panel:

  • Only one question per person
  • Questions will be answered within 1-2 weeks
  • Similar questions from different individuals may be grouped together and answered as one question
  • Please do not ask the panel to conduct research or to locate a specific reference
  • The panel and the editors of Perspectives reserve the right to not answer specific questions
  • Answers will be emailed to the questioner and will also be posted on this page.

 

 

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in Perspectives Ask the Experts are those of the panel only. Neither Saxe Healthcare Communications nor Dale Medical Products, Inc. make any warranty or representations about the accuracy or reliability of those opinions or their applicability to a particular clinical situation. Review of these materials is not a substitute for a practitioner’s independent research and medical opinion. Saxe Healthcare Communications, Dale Medical products, Inc. disclaim any responsibility or liability for such material. They shall not be liable for any direct, special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind arising from the use of this publication or the materials contained therein.

 

 

Ms. Oriola is a graduate of the University of Nevada – Reno and is currently the lead infection-control practitioner in the department of infection prevention and clinical epidemiology at Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus in San Diego, CA. She is a past member of the board of directors of Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC), a past president of the California APIC Coordinating Council, and recently contributed to the CDC/DHQP Infection Control Assistance Project and the HAI Advisory Committee of the California Department of Public Health. Ms. Oriola is one of the co-authors of APIC’s Guide to the Elimination of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections.

Mr. Olmsted is an epidemiologist in Infection Control Services at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and is the president of Applied Epidemiology Solutions, both in Ann Arbor, MI. He earned his MPH in general epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor. Mr. Olmsted recently chaired the external peer review panel for the National Healthcare Safety Network at the CDC. He is also active on the CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the APIC Practice Guidance Council, and he is on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Infection Control and the Journal of Hospital Infection. Mr. Olmsted is one of the reviewers of APIC’s Guide to the Elimination of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections

June Marshall, RN, MS, NEA-BC is currently the Director of the Center for Nurse Excellence at Medical City and Medical City Children’s Hospital, Dallas, Texas. In that role she serves as the Magnet Program Director and is responsible for evidence-based practice and nursing research. She has practiced nursing for more than 30 years in a variety of roles in a number of healthcare settings, including: staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist, nurse entrepreneur, and nurse administrator. Ms. Marshall has published and presented a variety of clinical, research, and leadership topics at local, state, and national conferences. She currently serves as an Editorial Advisor for Strategies for Nurse Managers and co-authored Critical Thinking in Pediatric Settings and Preventing Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections: Build an Evidence-based Program to Improve Patient Outcomes.

Ms. Weber joined Medical City Dallas and Medical City Children's Hospital in 2007 as the director of Quality Management. Weber is responsible for the oversight of hospital-wide performance improvement, accreditation, patient safety, infection prevention and medical staff performance improvement. Weber provides leadership for numerous initiatives for the organization, including serving as the chairman for the Hospital Acquired Conditions Steering Team, the facilitator for the Performance Improvement Council and leader for the use of the Malcolm Baldrige Improvement Criteria. Over the past ten years Weber has served in a director role for quality, organizational development and case management in a variety of hospital settings.

Mr. Marx is the founder of Broad Street Solutions, an infection prevention consultancy.
He is an adjunct faculty at the University of Phoenix in San Diego, CA. A recipient of
several awards, Mr. Marx has received the California Association of Health Facilities
   Nurse of the Year and the National APIC Chapter Recognition awards.  He has published extensively including the APIC Guide to the Elimination of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs).He is currently a board member of APIC and a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Infection Control.