“Lose the Tube”: A Choosing Wisely initiative to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitalist-led inpatient units

We developed a multidisciplinary initiative, “Lose the Tube,” focused on a Choosing Wisely recommendation to decrease catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates and catheter days. Through an electronic health record catheter identification tool, daily interdisciplinary query, and clinician education, our multifaceted intervention reduced mean per-person catheter days from 3.3 to 2.9, decreased CAUTI rates from 2.85 to 0.32 per 1,000 catheter days, and reduced cost by $32,245.