Few hospitals worldwide follow common central line recommendations designed to reduce the number of central line-associated bloodstream infections, according to survey results published in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control.
Physicians and nurses in intensive care units in 95 countries completed an online survey between June and October 2015 on their practices related to central line insertion, maintenance and measurement of CLABSIs. Researchers analyzed responses from 14 middle income and 27 high income countries.
The survey revealed the following:
- Written clinical guidelines for CLABSI prevention available — 80 percent of middle income, 81 percent of high income countries
- Compliance with a bundle of recommended central line insertion practices — 23 percent of MICs, 60 percent of HICs
- Daily assessment of central line necessity — 60 percent of MICs, 73 percent of HICs
"This international study shows that there is clear interest and awareness in the ICU community for CLABSI prevention in high and middle income countries, but implementation and adherence to existing guidelines on insertion and maintenance of [central lines] need to be reinforced at [the] ICU level," the authors concluded.
The main areas for improvement related to CLABSI prevention uncovered by the survey include full barrier precautions, daily assessment of central line necessity and use of data to monitor progress in preventive actions, the study concluded.