Preventing Health Care-Associated Infections Through Implementation of an Interprofessional Visual Management Safety...

Area of Science:

• Quality Improvement
• Healthcare Management
• Infection Prevention

Background:

• Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a significant challenge in acute care due to inconsistent practices.
• Variability in clinical practices contributes to the incidence of HAIs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To decrease central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and Clostridioides difficile infections.
• To address practice variations contributing to HAIs in a high-acuity care environment.
• To implement a visual management (VM) tool for HAI prevention.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Lean methodology for implementing the VM tool.
• An interprofessional team developed the VM tool, named the Safety Tracker.
• The Safety Tracker incorporated evidence-based HAI prevention practices that were previously omitted.

Main Results:

• HAIs decreased from 9 events to 1 over a 12-month period.
• Observed a reduction in the utilization of indwelling urinary catheters and central lines.
• Achieved cost savings exceeding $160,000 by reducing HAIs.

Conclusions:

• An interprofessional visual management Safety Tracker can significantly reduce HAIs.
• Addressing practice variations through VM tools is effective in infection control.
• The Safety Tracker demonstrated a positive impact on patient safety and healthcare costs.