Infection Control on a Shoestring Budget

Here's a list of all its strategies.

For VAP:

• Adopting an oral hygiene kit and protocol, for which the night shift nurse hangs 24 hours' worth of oral hygiene supplies on the wall in patients' rooms to remind staff to frequently clean and disinfect patients' mouths
• Implementing the "wake up and breathe" protocol, which directs nurses to automatically turn off all sedation medications at 6 am, unless there is a contraindication
• Placing red duct tape on the walls of patient rooms to remind staff to elevate the head of the patient's bed by 30 degrees
• Using elements of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) ventilator bundle, which includes a series of interventions for ventilator care, in nursing flow sheets and physician orders

For CLABSI:

• Drawing on elements of IHI's central line bundle to develop kits that incorporate elements such as reminder and monitoring forms and appropriate clothing, including full drape, surgical gown, cap, mask, and a compliance checklist