Analysis of Central Line Cares in a Hospital Setting

Central line-associated infection (CLABSI) accounts for approximately 14% of healthcare associated infections (Wood, 2017). CLABSI is an avoidable, yet very serious condition, and can be responsible for high mortality in patients (Conley, 2016). One of the key practices involved with reducing CLABSI is by standardizing practice by implementing "evidence-based policies associated with measurable improvement in patient outcomes" (Conley, 2016, para. 12). In addition, patients with central lines are often very observant of the care performed, and standardizing care across facilities will help minimize variations in care (Weingart et al., 2014). The hospital where this project was conducted is seeking to standardize central line care between two campuses. The purpose of this project is to address inconsistent timing in central line care and designing protocols to include the following: Standardize central line dressing change from every Tuesday to once a week to align with other affiliated hospital's current practice; Add a best practice alert (BPA) to alert staff when the dressing change is due; Standardize tubing changes/needleless connector changes to also align with other affiliated hospital's current practice; Provide staff education on the new policy; Update policy at the go-live date. Incorporating this protocol will decrease the likelihood that a patient would have the central line dressing changed sooner or later than indicated.