Catheter's, catheter care and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs): A cross-sectional audit of Leicester city care homes

Background Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) cause significant costs to the health and social care system in addition to potential harm to patients. They are amongst the most common infections present in care homes and can lead to preventable hospital admissions. This study aimed to audit all care homes in Leicester City to understand the extent, treatment and management of CAUTIs, alongside the standard of catheter care. Methods A cross-sectional audit was completed using MS Forms with care home managers over the telephone. Responses were entered directly into the online form and uploaded onto Microsoft Excel. Analysis was completed using descriptive statistics, with a pragmatic thematic analysis for free text data. Results 159 residents across 52 care homes had catheters, most commonly for urinary retention. Although 47 homes had a daily catheter care plan, just one reported use of a catheter passport. Only 14 care homes had staff trained to insert or remove catheters. Almost 3/4 of care homes had residents with a CAUTI during the reporting period and half of these were admitted to hospital as a result. Discussion The audit highlighted many unidentified care home residents with catheters. Standards of catheter care were generally good, but variability in staff training was identified. A more centralised way of identifying residents with catheters would enable better monitoring and support of catheter-associated risks.