Effectiveness of implementing a preventive urinary catheter care bundle in hip fracture patients

Urinary catheter (UC)-associated infections are one of the most common preventable healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and they frequently occur in older, frail populations.

The study aim was to describe the incidence of UC-associated infection in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery after implementing a preventive care bundle.

A longitudinal prospective study using a before-and-after design. The bundle was theory driven and involved the co-creation of a standard operational procedure, education and practical training sessions. Prospectively collected registry data were analysed. Univariable statistics and multivariable logistic regressions were used for analyses.

2,408 patients with an acute hip fracture were included into the study. There was an overall reduction in UC catheter associated-associated urinary tract infections, from 18.5% (n = 75/406) over time to 4.2% (n = 27/647). When adjusting for all identified confounders, patients in phase 4 were 74% less likely to contract an UC-associated infection (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.15-0.45, p < 0.0001).

Bundled interventions can reduce UC-associated infections substantially, even in elderly frail patients. Partnership and co-creation as implementation strategies appear to be promising in the fight against HAI.