Reducing urinary tract infection rates in post-operative surgical patients: A quality improvement intervention

The Scarborough Health Network joined the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) in fiscal year 2017-2018 with interest in tracking surgical outcomes in General and Vascular Surgery patients. Results of the ACS NSQIP program revealed poor outcomes in 30-day urinary tract infection (UTI) rates in this population group. Results were in the lowest quartile compared to peer hospitals. To improve patient care, SHN initiated a multi-pronged quality improvement plan (QIP).

The QIP focused on several improvements: (1) clarify the current state and conduct a root cause analysis, (2) determine a plan to encourage early removal of catheters in post-surgical patients, (3) enhance team communication in the pre-operative, operative and post-operative care environments, and (4) improve education around UTI prevention and treatment.

This study demonstrates the success of the quality improvement plan to improve a peri-operative complication in surgical patients. By 2019, SHN saw a significant decrease in UTI rates, and became a top decile performer in ACS NSQIP.

This study demonstrates the feasibility and success of implementing a quality improvement project, and its methods can be adapted at other hospital sites to improve patient care.