NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health Marks One Year Without Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)
The milestone was achieved through enhanced protocols and patient care team collaboration CAUTIs can cause severe kidney infections and other health complications
Apr 30, 2024
Brooklyn, NY — NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health today announced that it had reached a significant milestone in ensuring the highest quality of care for its patients: one year without a single catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). A CAUTI is a common infection that occurs when bacteria enter and infect the urinary tract through a urinary catheter, a tube placed in the body to drain and collect urine from the bladder. Up to three-quarters of urinary tract infections are caused by a placed urinary catheter. The hospital achieved this milestone by implementing a daily review system for its patients, accountability protocols and care team collaboration. There were two reported CAUTI infections in the previous year. The team reports its assessments to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network.
“South Brooklyn Health has demonstrated excellent teamwork, which has led to a reduction in CAUTIs and the achievement of being one-year CAUTI free,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Medical Officer Machelle Allen, MD. “The empowerment of the physician-nursing partnership has led to this significant accomplishment.”
“South Brooklyn Health is committed to continuous quality improvement, and our remarkable achievement of being one-year CAUTI-free is just the beginning of our journey,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health CEO Svetlana Lipyanskaya. “We must remain vigilant, proactive, and collaborative in our efforts to maintain this level of excellence and strive for even greater achievements in the future, including many more years of success and zero harm.
“Being free of CAUTI’s for one year means we have significantly improved the quality of care and patient safety while here in our hospital,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health Chief Medical Officer Terence Brady, MD.
“I am immensely proud of every nurse’s commitment to excellence towards patient care at South Brooklyn Health. This milestone reflects the tireless devotion to patient safety, adherence to best practices, and the relentless pursuit of nursing excellence,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health Chief Nursing Officer Manjinder Kaur, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE. “By prioritizing patient safety and implementing evidence-based protocols, we have achieved more than just preventing infections. We have significantly enhanced the overall well-being of those under our care.”
According to the CDC, there was a 12 percent decrease in overall CAUTIs nationally from 2021-2022. Patients may experience symptoms including a severe kidney infection, pain in the lower abdomen and back, blood in the urine, fatigue, or a fever. Most CAUTIs can be treated with antibiotics, or by removing or changing the catheter.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Bridgette Ingraham-Roberts, (646) 937-2945, ingrahab@nychhc.org
About NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health
NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health and its 371-bed Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital and Health & Wellness Institute is one of the public health system’s 10 acute care health care campuses that offers general and acute medical care to adults and children. The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital offers modern trauma and emergency care, inpatient services for primary and acute care in general medicine, adult medicine, pediatrics, general surgery, medical and surgical sub-specialties, coronary care, intensive care, obstetrics and gynecology, midwifery, neonatology, critical care, rehabilitation medicine, psychiatry, and behavioral health. Its Health & Wellness Institute with over 40 ambulatory care practices, provides patient and caregiver centered primary and specialty care to residents of South Brooklyn and the surrounding communities. The hospital has designations as a Certified Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Center, an Advanced Primary Stroke Center, an accredited Baby-Friendly Hospital, a U.S. News & World Reporthigh performing hospital, a SAFE Center of Excellence under the Sexual Assault Reform Act, Designated AIDS Center (DACs), and Level 2 Perinatal Center.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.