Reducing home infusion CLABSI through a dashboard and toolkit implementation.

Area of Science:

• Infection Control and Prevention
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Home Healthcare

Background:

• Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and home infusion-onset bloodstream infections (HiOB) pose significant risks in home infusion therapy.
• Effective strategies are needed to monitor and prevent these infections in home care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a novel dashboard and prevention toolkit for CLABSI and HiOB.
• To assess the impact of these tools on infection rates in home infusion agencies.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving five home infusion agencies.
• Utilized an interrupted time series analysis to assess infection rates before and after the implementation of a comparative dashboard and a CLABSI prevention toolkit.
• Employed surveys and interviews to gather qualitative data on user experiences and perceived barriers.

Main Results:

• Dashboard implementation was associated with a decrease in both CLABSI and HiOB rates.
• Subsequent implementation of the prevention toolkit led to a further reduction in CLABSI and HiOB rates.
• Qualitative analysis revealed themes related to tool usability, adaptability, user education, and implementation challenges.

Conclusions:

• The dashboard and prevention toolkit were independently associated with reductions in CLABSI and HiOB.
• The findings support the integration of such tools into home infusion practice to enhance patient safety and reduce infection burdens.