An educational program for decreasing catheter-related bloodstream infections in intensive care units: a pre- and post-intervention observational study

BACKGROUND: Central venous catheters (CVCs) are commonly used in the management of critically ill patients. This study aimed to determine whether an educational program could reduce the rate of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) in intensive care units (ICUs). FINDINGS: All patients admitted to a medical ICU at a college affiliated with the Japan Society of Intensive Care Medicine between January 2008 and December 2014 were surveyed prospectively for the development of CRBSIs. A mandatory educational program (the intervention) targeting an infection control committee consisting of physicians was developed by a multidisciplinary task force to highlight correct practices for preventing CRBSIs. The program included a 30-min video-based introduction, 120-min lectures with a number of hands-on training sessions, a post-test, posters, safety check sheets, and feedback from the infection control committee. Lectures based on the education program were held every 3 months, and participants were free to choose when they attended the lectures. Each participant was required to view the 30-min introduction before attending the 120-min lectures and complete the post-test after each lecture. Safety check sheets were made to ascertain adherence to contents of the educational program. Posters describing the educational program were posted throughout the ICU. A pre- and post-intervention observational study design was employed, with the main outcome measure being yearly CRBSIs. We also calculated cost savings that resulted from improved CRBSI rates. During the 12-month pre-intervention period, four episodes of CRBSIs occurred in 1171 patient ICU-days (i.e., 3.4 per 1000 patient ICU-days). In the first year after the intervention, the rate of CRBSIs decreased to 0 in 1157 patient ICU-days (P ≤ 0.05). The estimated cost savings secondary to this decreased rate for the 1 year following introduction of the program was between 1850,000 and 27,000,000 yen ($14,800–$216,000). CONCLUSIONS: A program aimed at educating healthcare providers on the prevention of CRBSIs led to a dramatic decrease in the rate of primary bloodstream infections. This suggests that educational programs may substantially decrease medical care costs and patient morbidity attributed to central venous catheterization when implemented as part of mandatory training.