Reduced Hospital-Acquired Infections Reported

Evi Dewhurst

A recent study published in the online journal of Pediatrics shared the good news: Fewer critically ill children and infants are developing hospital-acquired infections than they were seven years ago.

Neonatal intensive care units and pediatric intensive care units have made specific protocol changes in an effort to curb these infections, and their efforts have paid off.

“We’re recognizing that there are things that happen at hospitals
that are preventable and there are things we can do to make
being in the hospital safer, including for our most vulnerable patients.”

— Dr. Stephen Patrick, Lead Researcher of Pediatrics and Health Policy
at Vanderbilt University in Nashville

 

Assembled here are highlights from this study for your review, plus a link to an additional article written by CBS News online.

Reduced HAI infographic

 

Many hospitals have focused on bundles to reduce infection. Recommended bundle procedures have covered:

1. Improved hand hygiene

2. Better insertion barrier precautions

3. Optimal access procedures

  • Implement access guidelines
  • Minimize connections

4. Daily inspection of and need for the line

  • Prompt removal of unnecessary lines
  • Sterile dressing change when necessary

 

Three critical ways a unit can reduce HAI are the following:

1. Individual accountability

2. A culture of safety

3. Hospital infrastructure

 

At-risk infants and children have clearly benefitted from many of the safety-focused changes occurring over the last seven years. It takes a healthcare-wide effort to adopt these changes, just as it requires individuals to get them started and keep the motivation going. Now is the time to acknowledge your expertise and contributions to this movement. Encourage your unit and teams to continue to adopt bundled practices to benefit your patients, meet your healthcare goals and advance patient care into the future.

 

Resources:

cbsnews.com/news/new-figures-on-childrens-hospital-related-in…

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836823

nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=1206702