It is known that the urinary tract is a very common source of infection. There are risk factors that can assist in the diagnosis, and there is a growing trend for antibiotic resistance in the causative organisms. Susceptibility to urinary tract infection is common to all people, and specific groups are more susceptible than others.

The use of indwelling urinary catheters at some time in a hospital stay is known as a risk factor for infection, and the rate of bacteriuria development after a single catheterization ranges between 1 and 20 percent. Rates of healthcare-associated urinary tract infections have decreased over time, but they still remain the most frequently identified healthcare-associated infection.