Urinary tract infection is the most common hospital-acquired infection; 80% of these infections are attributable to an indwelling urethral catheter. Twelve to sixteen percent of hospital inpatients will have a urinary catheter at some time during their hospital stay. Morbidity attributable to any single episode of catheterization is limited, but the high frequency of catheter use in hospitalized patients means that the cumulative burden of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) is substantial.
Reference: SHEA/IDSA Practice Recommendation Strategies to Prevent Catheter‐Associated Urinary Tract Infections in Acute Care Hospitals . Infection Control and Epidemiology October 2008