Sonia Garcia

The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York

Abstract Title: Development and Implementation of an Evidence-Based Practice Bundle for CAUTI Prevention

Biography: Sonia Garcia, DNP, RN, is an accomplished Nursing Education Specialist at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she advances clinical excellence across medical–surgical, rehabilitation, and psychiatric service lines. With a Doctor of Nursing Practice and extensive experience in professional development and clinical education, Dr. Garcia designs and implements evidence-based educational programs that strengthen clinical competency, promote patient safety, and support regulatory and accreditation standards. In her role, Dr. Garcia collaborates closely with interdisciplinary teams to lead onboarding initiatives, competency validation programs, quality improvement projects, and continuing education for nursing and healthcare staff. She currently oversees and teaches the hospital’s Patient Safety and Hospital-Acquired Conditions program, reinforcing best practices that improve patient outcomes and enhance healthcare quality. Dr. Garcia has also demonstrated leadership in community and staff education by launching the American Heart Association (AHA) Heartsaver Program for ancillary staff at Mount Sinai Hospital, expanding life-saving training opportunities across the organization. In addition to her clinical leadership, Dr. Garcia is an experienced academic educator who has taught at three universities, instructing nursing students at all levels from freshman through senior coursework. Her dedication to education is complemented by over 24 years of distinguished military service, where she developed strong leadership, discipline, and a commitment to service that continue to shape her professional philosophy. Passionate about lifelong learning and workforce empowerment, Dr. Garcia is committed to fostering a culture of accountability, compassion, and excellence in patient-centered care across diverse healthcare environments. Her work focuses on equipping healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to deliver safe, high-quality care.

Research Interest: Title: Development and Implementation of an Evidence-Based Practice Bundle for CAUTI Prevention Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are a significant concern in health facilities since they are the most prevalent hospital-acquired infections. Most health facilities have implemented quality improvement projects to prevent or reduce CAUTI rates. This quality improvement project was implemented in two rehabilitation units at Mount Sinai Hospital. The interventions included staff education, training, and integration of the CAUTI bundle in clinical practice. The clinical protocol for the CAUTI bundle included healthcare providers, hand hygiene, sterile insertion of the catheter, indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) indication, IUC maintenance checklist, and management of the catheter through timely removal. A single-group pre-posttest design was adopted for data analysis. Nursing staff were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected from the hospital's dashboard. Data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Based on the findings, the CAUTI rates dropped from 1.79% to 0.54% per 1,000 patient days and from 1.97% to 0.57% per 1,000 patient days in units 1 Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and unit 2 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) respectively. The intervention was, therefore, effective in reducing and preventing CAUTI. The findings can inform nurse leaders and the nursing staff on the need for adequate knowledge and training and the adoption of CAUTI bundles to reduce CAUTI rates in health facilities. The findings can also be used to design educational and training programs to meet the needs of the staff. Keywords: CAUTI rates, CAUTI bundles, indwelling urinary catheters, catheterization