CHI St. Alexius Health Carrington Receives Zero Harm Recognition

CHI St. Alexius Health Carrington recently received the Zero Harm Award for achieving and maintaining the requirements of zero harm in reducing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) for 12 consecutive months, October 2016 to September 2017. Reducing CAUTIs is one of the most challenging harm events among

North Dakota hospitals. The recognition was presented by Quality Health Associates of North Dakota (QHA), the subcontractor for the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN), for the state of North Dakota.

A key component to making patient care safer is tracking progress towards improvement using clinical data. Carrington Health Center submitted data to the HRET Comprehensive Data System (CDS). This mechanism allowed the study of data across time using run charts to determine the effect of improvement strategies implemented at reducing patient harm.

A urinary tract infection occurs when microorganisms enter the urinary tract and cause infection. The infection is considered catheter-associated if an indwelling catheter has been in place for greater than two days on the infection date (CDC, 2015). Twelve to sixteen percent of adult inpatients will have a urinary catheter at some time during their hospital stay (Weinstein et al., 1999). The direct costs associated with CAUTI range from $749 to $1,007 per patient (Scott, 2009).

Team members collaborated to focus on evidence-based strategies to make the hospital environment safer for their patients by implementing interventions that reduced CAUTIs. They tracked these interventions over time to determine their effectiveness. Data will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis to assure these interventions remain effective with modifications made as needed. This achievement clearly demonstrates the dedication of the entire healthcare team and commitment to quality patient care and safety.

The Zero Harm Award is based on the 5th Century Hippocratic Oath committing the medical community to the goal of Do No Harm. In today's healthcare environment, commitment of the entire medical team is required to achieve this goal. QHA will announce additional awards in 2018.