Changing the dressing on a patient's catheter is a crucial infection prevention method that can be improved by implementing a multifaceted catheter care maintenance bundle, according to a recent study published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
Authors of the study conducted a 12-month, before-and-after trial at a 1,250-bed teaching hospital. The study examined a bundle that included educational programs for nurses, updated hospital policies, visual aids, a competency assessment, process monitoring, regular progress reports and consolidation of catheter maintenance supplies.
All total, the researchers collected data for more than 25,500 catheter days, including 43 central line-associated bloodstream infections, and more than 4,000 catheter dressing observations.
They found the CLABSI incidence density decreased 2.5 percent per month on intervention floors. Even more telling, the bundle was associated with significant improvements in catheter dressing compliance. Compliance increased from 78.8 percent to 87.9 percent on intervention wards, more than on control wards, where compliance increased from 84.9 percent to 90.9 percent.
Ultimately, the authors concluded that while the program improved catheter dressing care, more research is necessary to create CLABSI prevention strategies in non-intensive care unit patients.
More articles on catheters:
UTI intervention remains successful for 8 years, study finds
10 states that made the least progress in the fight against HAIs
10 states making the most progress in the fight against HAIs