Academic Hospitals Team Up to Stop Catheter-Related Infections

Since the focus of UHC's effort is academic centers, one emphasis is in educating the many types of providers who come in contact with patients who might otherwise be missed in the educational process about hospital protocols, such as medical students, nursing students, residents, fellows, Cerese says.

The stepped up UHC effort comes on the heels of a February report in the British Medical Journal that found 90 intensive care units could reduce the mean number of CRBSIs from 7.7 per 1,000 catheter days to 1.3 by implementing five evidence based practice recommendations for 16 to 18 months.

The practices included four related to the catheter insertion process itself. They were hand washing, using full barrier precautions, cleaning skin with chlorhexidine and avoiding the femoral site when possible.

The fifth recommendation was to remove unnecessary catheters.