Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How can healthcare teams reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections while also protecting staff, strengthening collaboration and creating lasting improvement?
In this episode of Mayo Clinic’s Key in to Quality podcast, Dr. Tim Morgenthaler and Sheri Nemec speak with a multidisciplinary team from Mayo Clinic in Arizona about their efforts to address catheter-associated urinary tract infections, also known as CAUTIs, during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guests Gina Hull, Chris Aliory, Brigid Kiley and Eric Siebeneck share how infection prevention, nursing, quality improvement and frontline staff came together to identify contributing factors, develop practical solutions and improve patient safety. Their collaborative work helped produce an approximately 50% decrease in CAUTI rates while building a stronger culture of trust, psychological safety and shared accountability.
The conversation explores:
• The importance of engaging frontline staff and CAUTI champions
• How multidisciplinary teams can identify process gaps
• Using the DMAIC quality improvement framework
• Creating psychological safety where every team member can contribute
• Learning from interventions that do not work as expected
• Maintaining momentum through frequent communication and recognition
• Adapting successful improvement strategies as staffing, technology and workflows change
This episode demonstrates that meaningful healthcare improvement is both technical and deeply human. Sustainable change happens when people work together with humility, curiosity and a shared commitment to patient and staff safety.
Featured guests:
Gina Hull, infection preventionist
Chris Aliory, clinical nurse specialist
Brigid Kiley, nursing quality specialist and resuscitation coordinator
Eric Siebeneck, performance improvement advisor
Key in to Quality explores the people, practices and principles that elevate healthcare quality and safety. Each episode highlights practical lessons that healthcare professionals and organizations can use to address important quality challenges.
Subscribe for more conversations about patient safety, quality improvement, healthcare leadership and collaborative care.
#PatientSafety #QualityImprovement #InfectionPrevention #CAUTI #HealthcareQuality #NursingLeadership #Teamwork #MayoClinic
0:00 CAUTI Challenge and Teamwork Focus
2:08 Meet the Arizona CAUTI Team
7:57 COVID-Era Care and Safety Challenges
11:32 Launching the CAUTI Improvement Project
14:18 Leadership, Mentorship, and Psychological Safety
15:47 Building the Team and DMAIC Process
19:06 Trust, Recognition, and Team Successes
23:36 Frontline Champions Drive Improvement
25:41 Measuring Results and Sustaining Progress
27:53 Advice for Building High-Performing Teams
31:43 Key Takeaways and Closing Reflections
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox (free): mayocl.in/3e71zfi
Visit Mayo Clinic: mayocl.in/2COVmlm
Connect with Mayo Clinic:
Facebook: facebook.com/mayoclinic
Instagram: instagram.com/mayoclinic
X: https://x.com/MayoClinic
Threads: threads.net/@mayoclinic
How can healthcare teams reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections while also protecting staff, strengthening collaboration and creating lasting improvement?
In this episode of Mayo Clinic’s Key in to Quality podcast, Dr. Tim Morgenthaler and Sheri Nemec speak with a multidisciplinary team from Mayo Clinic in Arizona about their efforts to address catheter-associated urinary tract infections, also known as CAUTIs, during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guests Gina Hull, Chris Aliory, Brigid Kiley and Eric Siebeneck share how infection prevention, nursing, quality improvement and frontline staff came together to identify contributing factors, develop practical solutions and improve patient safety. Their collaborative work helped produce an approximately 50% decrease in CAUTI rates while building a stronger culture of trust, psychological safety and shared accountability.
The conversation explores:
• The importance of engaging frontline staff and CAUTI champions
• How multidisciplinary teams can identify process gaps
• Using the DMAIC quality improvement framework
• Creating psychological safety where every team member can contribute
• Learning from interventions that do not work as expected
• Maintaining momentum through frequent communication and recognition
• Adapting successful improvement strategies as staffing, technology and workflows change
This episode demonstrates that meaningful healthcare improvement is both technical and deeply human. Sustainable change happens when people work together with humility, curiosity and a shared commitment to patient and staff safety.
Featured guests:
Gina Hull, infection preventionist
Chris Aliory, clinical nurse specialist
Brigid Kiley, nursing quality specialist and resuscitation coordinator
Eric Siebeneck, performance improvement advisor
Key in to Quality explores the people, practices and principles that elevate healthcare quality and safety. Each episode highlights practical lessons that healthcare professionals and organizations can use to address important quality challenges.
Subscribe for more conversations about patient safety, quality improvement, healthcare leadership and collaborative care.
#PatientSafety #QualityImprovement #InfectionPrevention #CAUTI #HealthcareQuality #NursingLeadership #Teamwork #MayoClinic
0:00 CAUTI Challenge and Teamwork Focus
2:08 Meet the Arizona CAUTI Team
7:57 COVID-Era Care and Safety Challenges
11:32 Launching the CAUTI Improvement Project
14:18 Leadership, Mentorship, and Psychological Safety
15:47 Building the Team and DMAIC Process
19:06 Trust, Recognition, and Team Successes
23:36 Frontline Champions Drive Improvement
25:41 Measuring Results and Sustaining Progress
27:53 Advice for Building High-Performing Teams
31:43 Key Takeaways and Closing Reflections
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox (free): mayocl.in/3e71zfi
Visit Mayo Clinic: mayocl.in/2COVmlm
Connect with Mayo Clinic:
Facebook: facebook.com/mayoclinic
Instagram: instagram.com/mayoclinic
X: https://x.com/MayoClinic
Threads: threads.net/@mayoclinic
