A CAUTI scavenger hunt on CCU? What they learned…

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Monica Mewshaw

Back in November 2011, the Medical Surgical Unit (MSU) began working on reduction of catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). The Emergency Department (ED) staff were strong partners in this effort, since most of MSU’s patients are admitted from the ED. Their success has been contagious!

In June, a group of Critical Care staff formed the Foley Patrol Team. They attended a wonderful learning session led by infection control nurse Ann Van Waes, RN, MS, CIC, called “CAUTI Prevention Boot Camp.”  Afterwards, they were so energized that they came back to the unit and got right to work.

Their mission was clear: they wanted to share their knowledge with the entire Critical Care team and make the learning fun!

The team decided to develop a CAUTI scavenger hunt. Each member of the team was assigned a task and got to work developing a quiz, decorating a beautiful repository box for the quizzes, creating the clues and hiding them, and securing a prize.

Their efforts were very successful, staff couldn’t wait to do the scavenger hunt. The winner of the fabulous prize was Sue Cobley, RN — congrats!

Here’s what we learned. As we reviewed our entries, the one learning point we found needed to be emphasized was the best location for the foley drainage bag. All staff know that the bag must be lower than the patient, but it is best to hook it to the end of the beds instead of on the hook below the side rail. Ssecuring the bag to the hook below the side rail can form a loop, causing the catheter to not drain properly–tubing needs to be in a straight line.

Thank you Critical Care Foley Patrol Team for your passion to improve patient outcomes!

Lorraine Antel, RN – Team Leader

Ann Weatherford, RN

Tony Batten, PCT

Keri Tate, RN

Elizabeth Mihelich, PCT

Samantha Thorne, RN

Nita Jones, RN

Terri Johnson, PCT

Vivian Craft, RN

Chardonay Williams, PCT

Go Team! -Sandy Fox, MSN, RN, CEN