Major new national infection-control guidelines will markedly improve patient safety and IV therapy, say clinical experts Marc Oliver Wright and Michelle DeVries. They point to the landmark addition of simple measures such as disinfection caps to control catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs). The recommendations were issued this week by the Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the American Hospital Association and others.
Key quotes:
“These new recommendations will change the way we address potentially deadly infections, especially those related to IV therapy. For example, most hospitals have a hard time assuring proper disinfection of IV needleless connectors through the “scrub the hub” method. We found that simple disinfection caps, newly recommended by SHEA, are a highly effective solution to the widely recognized shortcomings of ‘scrub the hub.’ ”
-- Marc-Oliver Wright MT (ASCP), MS, CIC, author of study cited in the SHEA document and Corporate Director of Infection Control for NorthShore University HealthSystem (Chicago area).
*Broadcast studio is available at NorthShore.
“This document encompasses the latest knowledge on what works, and goes beyond the older CDC guidelines. It’s especially encouraging to see infection-control leaders recognize the potential dangers posed not just by central venous catheters, but by the hundreds of millions of peripheral IVs placed in hospital patients each year.”
- Michelle DeVries, author of a new study in the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access and Senior Infection Control Officer for Methodist Hospitals (Gary, Ind.)
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