Pediatric ICU Eliminates Central-Line Infections for Entire Year

• 7/30/2010
• Author: Audrie Bretl Roelf
• Category: Benchmark Blog
• 6479 Views
• 0 Comments
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When it comes to performance improvement, you can’t get much better than bringing a count to zero. The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center (formerly Schneider Children’s Hospital of North Shore) in New York has done just that by going an entire year without a central-line infection in its pediatric intensive care unit, as reported by Quality Digest.

After various studies and measurements, the Center reported that the key to combating infections in pediatric populations is focusing on maintenance procedures. Improvements made included a lengthy scrub of the catheter port with a special cleansing solution for each entry into the catheter (to either administer a medication or to sample blood), frequent changes of the catheter tubing, and a new protocol for changing the catheter dressing.  Additionally, the necessity of the catheter itself has become a topic for discussion on daily rounds; and an open conversation between the team of nurses and physicians caring for the patient has become a must at the first warning sign of an infection. To implement these last two aspects, a culture shift away from the more traditional hierarchical medical model is necessary. The organization instituted an “if you see something wrong, say something” policy.

The results of the culture shift speak for themselves: From July 7, 2009, to July 7, 2010, Cohen Children’s Medical Center reported zero infections for 2,574 central-line days. The national average is 2.9 infections per 1,000 central-line days.

Has your organization done something to boast about? Let me know. E-mail benchmark@jcrinc.com and tell me about it.