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Five easy ways to reduce catheter infections

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, April 5, 2007

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Five simple, low-cost interventions can dramatically reduce central venous catheter infections in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a new study.

The hospitals that participated in the federally funded research saw a sustained 66% reduction in catheter-related bloodstream infections during the 18-month study.

Researchers used the following five interventions, which hospitals can easily adopt:

1. Hand-washing
2. Use of full barrier precautions when inserting central venous catheters
3. Cleaning the skin with chlorhexidine
4. Avoiding the femoral site if possible
5. Removing unnecessary catheters

To get more information, go to Briefings on Infection Control (BOIC). For the cost of just three stories, you can get the entire April issue of BOIC. Click here to choose between the PDF and HTML versions for just $30. Subscribers to the online version of BOIC have free access to this article. Subscribers to the print newsletter can find this article in their April issue.

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