Geary Community Hospital has been recognized by the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative for its successful completion of a statewide patient safety initiative.

GCH was among a group of 23 Kansas hospitals that collectively achieved an 84.1 percent reduction in catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) over a period of 18 months.  The goal for the project was to reduce CAUTIs by 25 percent or more between January 1, 2013 and May 30, 2014.

“We appreciate the efforts of our doctors and nurses in tackling this project,” stated Dawn Engel, Chief Nursing Officer. “We are always committed to delivering the highest quality care and this project helped us fine tune our culture of patient safety.

CAUTIs are the most common type of hospital-acquired infection and account for more than one-third of all such infections nationally. Complications associated with CAUTI result in increased length of stay, patient discomfort, excess health care costs, and sometimes lead to mortality. On average, between 12 and 15 percent of hospital patients may have an indwelling urinary catheter sometime during their hospital stay.

Working with state project leaders at the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative, GCH was a part of Cohort 5 of the national On the CUSP: Stop CAUTI program, which is an initiative funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and administered through the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET).

Since June 2011, nearly 70 Kansas hospitals have participated with KHC in the national project, which uses the model Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) to achieve its results. CUSP is a customizable program that helps hospital units address the foundation of how clinical teams care for patients.  It combines clinical best practices with an understanding of the science of safety, improved safety culture, and an increased focus on teamwork.

“Kansas hospitals are committed to curtailing CAUTIs and enhancing safety across the board,” said Kendra Tinsley, executive director of the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative. “Patients in Kansas are safer today because front-line nurses, physicians and hospital leadership are working together to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.”

For Geary Community Hospital, the CAUTI project also is part of its broader patient safety initiative, the Hospital Engagement Network, focusing on nine preventable hospital-acquired conditions and unnecessary re-admissions.

Released by Harold Marion, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at GCH.