The national benchmark for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) is 1.

NAHQ guidance emphasizes that initial improvement goals should be realistic, achievable, and benchmark-based. Setting the national benchmark (1.00) as the initial goal aligns performance with external standards and supports incremental improvement.

While zero harm is the ultimate aim, setting an immediate goal of 0.00 may be unrealistic and discouraging. Goals below benchmark are more appropriate after sustained improvement. Therefore, Option B is the correct initial goal.