A quality improvement intervention reduced nosocomial infection rates in a pediatric intensive care unit, according to a study in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.
Researchers evaluated the effect of a quality improvement intervention on infection rates in a 14-bed medical and surgical PICU in a university hospital for children. The intervention had three components:
• An infection control team
• A program targeting hand hygiene
• Quality practices focused on preventing nosocomial infections
Researchers compared infection rates from a preintervention period to rates in the intervention and long-term follow-up period:
• The rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections decreased from 8.1 per 1,000 central venous catheter days to 6 per 1,000 days during the intervention period and 4.6 per 1,000 days in the follow-up period — a total rate decrease of 43.2 percent from preintervention.
• The VAP rate decreased from 28.3 per 1,000 days of ventilation to 10.6 per 1,000 days during the intervention and 9.1 per 1,000 days in the follow-up — a total decrease of 67.8 percent.
• The rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections decreased from 23.3 per 1,000 urinary catheter days to 5.8 per 1,000 days in the intervention period and 5.2 in the follow-up — a total decrease of 77.7 percent.
• Hospital length of stay decreased from 18.56 to 14.57 days in the intervention and 14.45 days in follow-up.
• The mortality rate decreased from 5.1 percent to 3.3 percent in the intervention period and 3.2 percent at follow-up.
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