Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infections

Publication 1 details the SHEA/IDSA (Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America/Infectious Diseases Society of America) recommendations. Publication 2 has a brief summary. The IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) has valuable resources to help implement the recommendations (publication 3).

1. Marschall J, Mermel LA, Classen D, et al. Strategies to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections in acute care hospitals. Infection control and hospital epidemiology. 2008;29 Suppl 1(october):S22-30. (free full access).
2. Yokoe DS, Mermel LA, Anderson DJ, et al. A compendium of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals. Infection control and hospital epidemiology. 2008;29 Suppl 1(October):S12-21. (free full access).
3. IHI tools to implement the central line bundle. (free full access).

Join the Effort to Reduce CLBSI

An estimated 250,000 central-line blood stream infections (CLBSIs) occur in hospitals each year, and as many as 62,000 patients who get these infections die as a result. The Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET), through a contract with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Quality and Safety Research Group and the Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association will implement in over 100 hospitals in 10 states nationwide a patient safety program proven to dramatically reduce CLBSI.

California has been selected as one of the states, and the California Hospital Association and CHPSO are proud to lead this effort here. Three collaborative meetings are required as part of this project; much of the rest of the interactions are by teleconference. We want to make this program available to as many hospitals as possible, so we are establishing two locales for the in-person meetings. The two meeting locations will be in the San Diego region and the Central Valley.

Questions about participation can be sent to Rory Jaffe (rjaffe@calhospital.org) or Mary Lopez (mlopez@hospitalcouncil.net).

CUSP Participation Fact Sheet

ICU Team Commitment Information

HRET site on the project

Patient Education Materials

APIC/CHPSO Patient Guide: Single Page Large Print Large Print — Spanish. (free full access).