Which of the following processes would the catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) improvement team choose as a process indicator to reduce CAUTI?
A.
Documentation of indication for catheter placement
B.
Rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
A process indicator measures whether staff are reliably performing evidence-based practices that prevent infection (i.e., how well we do what we intend to do). For CAUTI prevention, a core, guideline-supported strategy is to use indwelling urinary catheters only for appropriate indications and remove them as soon as they are no longer needed. Because inappropriate placement is a major driver of unnecessary catheter days (and therefore CAUTI risk), tracking whether the clinical indication is documented at insertion is a practical, auditable process measure that directly reflects adherence to appropriate-use policies. The CDC CAUTI prevention toolkit lists “compliance with documentation of catheter …” as an example of a process measure, aligning with performance measurement approaches recommended for CAUTI prevention.
In contrast, the CAUTI rate (option B) is an outcome measure, not a process measure. “Reduction of catheter insertions per month” (option C) reflects volume/usage trends rather than direct compliance with a specific practice, and “rate of asymptomatic bacteriuria” (option D) is not a recommended target metric for CAUTI prevention and routine screening for ASB is discouraged in CAUTI guidance.
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