Despite the strong link between urinary catheters and subsequent UTI, we found no strategy that appeared to be widely used to prevent hospital-acquired UTI. The most commonly used practices--bladder ultrasound and antimicrobial catheters--were each used in fewer than one-third of hospitals, and urinary catheter reminders, which have proven benefits, were used in <10% of US hospitals.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection, a common and potentially preventable complication of hospitalization, is one of the hospital-acquired complications chosen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for which hospitals no longer receive additional payment. To help understand the potential consequences of the recent CMS rule changes we examine the preventability of catheter-associated infection, review the CMS rules changes regarding catheter-associated urinary tract infection, offer our assessment of the possible consequences of these changes, and provide guidance for hospital-based administrators and clinicians. Though controversial, we conclude that the CMS rule changes related to catheter-associated urinary tract infection may do more good than harm since hospitals are likely to re-double their efforts in preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infection, which may minimize unnecessary placement and facilitate prompt removal of indwelling catheters. While we applaud CMS for forcing hospitals to increase efforts to prevent complications stemming from hospital-acquired infection, the opportunity costs and potential for unintended consequences cannot be overlooked. Consequently, how hospitals and physicians respond to the CMS rule changes must be monitored closely.

Objective. To describe, qualitatively and quantitatively, the impact of a review by multiple institutional review boards (IRBs) (1) Recruitment, retention, and communication issues with local site principal investigators (PIs). Local PIs had no real role but were required by IRBs. Twenty-one percent of sites experienced turnover in local PIs, and local PI issues added significant delay to most sites.(2) Wide variation in standards applied to review and approval of IRB applications. The study was designed to be qualified under U.S. government regulations for expedited review. One site exempted it from review (although it did not qualify for exemption), 10 granted expedited review, 31 required full review, and one rejected it as being too risky to be permitted. Twenty-three required inapplicable sections in the consent form and five required HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) consent from physicians although no health information was asked of them. Twelve sites requested, and two insisted upon, provisions that directly increased the risk to participants.(3) Multiple returns for revision of IRB applications, consent documents, and ancillary forms. Seventy-six percent of sites required at least one resubmission, and 15 percent of sites required three or more (up to six) resubmissions. Only 12 percent of sites required any procedural or substantive revision; most resubmissions were editorial changes to the wording of the consent document.

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The types and numbers of champions varied with the type of practice implemented and the effectiveness of champions was affected by the quality of organisational networks.