Preventing healthcare-acquired infections

Healthcare-acquired infections (HAI) remain a major threat to patient safety despite the best efforts of healthcare workers everywhere. Carmen Duke, MPH, CIC, an infection prevention contractor in the Greater Chattanooga area, discusses what leads to HAIs and some of the most common HAIs to look out for. 

Q: What factors are the biggest causes and drivers of HAIs? How can they be overcome?

Duke: Some of the biggest challenges I see are:

• Competing priorities at a facility
• Buy-in from staff that HAIs should be a top priority or that the extra steps required for prevention make a difference
• [Understanding that] the safest option for the patient is not always the easiest

It is important that infection prevention be kept in mind by staff at every level for every process. IPs need allies in every area of a facility to keep it a top priority. It's important to share data with staff and educate them on infection prevention strategies to get their buy-in, and also to include them in decision-making processes to come up with solutions that make sense.

Including frontline staff in the process, product, and workflow decisions also helps reduce workarounds to prevention efforts that others may not have considered.

Q: Why do catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) and central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) draw so much attention as opposed to other HAIs?

Duke: CAUTI and CLABSI receive additional attention in a lot of places due to the level of harm (e.g., morbidity, mortality, length of stay, cost, etc.). They also receive attention because the device is a visible risk factor the care team can easily see every time they are with a patient or resident. In some ways, it seems easier to identify the cause and prevent the CAUTI and CLABSIs. There are several millions of device days per year in the U.S.

Source: Patient Safety Monitor Journal