Rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections dropped by 54% across more than 400 long-term care facilities that participated in a patient safety project funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The project adapted AHRQ’s comprehensive unit-based safety program (CUSP) for use in long-term care facilities. Use of CUSP in hospitals has led to reductions in CAUTIs and bloodstream infections associated with central line catheters.

“We continue to see the power of AHRQ tools to help front-line staff tackle safety problems, now in nursing homes as well as hospitals,” said Dr. Jeffrey Brady, director of AHRQ’s Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. “This means that some of the most vulnerable members of society—those who reside in long-term care facilities and nursing homes—are less likely to be harmed as a result of infections.”

Read more at  Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality.