Increasing Utilization of Scrubbing Devices for Peripheral Intravenous Disinfectable Needleless Closed Connectors

Area of Science:

• Medical Quality Improvement
• Infection Prevention
• Anesthesiology Practice

Background:

• Peripheral intravenous (IV) administration sets are potential sources of healthcare-associated infections.
• Infections linked to IV devices increase patient morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenses.
• Compliance with proper disinfection protocols is crucial for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance compliance with peripheral IV hub disinfection during anesthesia induction.
• To align practice with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) safe medication injection guidelines.
• To reduce infection risks associated with IV administration sets.

Main Methods:

• Quality improvement project conducted in an operating suite from June to October 2023.
• Utilized pre- and post-intervention audits of scrubbing device use and focus groups.
• Implemented two educational interventions focused on IV hub disinfection techniques.

Main Results:

• Mean utilization of scrubbing devices per case nearly doubled, increasing from 0.44 to 0.82.
• The observed increase in device use was statistically significant (P < 0.0001).
• Educational interventions effectively promoted adherence to disinfection guidelines.

Conclusions:

• A straightforward educational program can significantly increase the utilization of scrubbing devices for IV hub disinfection.
• Improved compliance with disinfection protocols contributes to enhanced patient safety and infection control.
• Further strategies to sustain and improve compliance are discussed.