Winner

Cyprus University of Technology – Limassol General Hospital: Should CDC’s recommendations for promptly removing unnecessary central venous catheters be enhanced?

Catheter related bloodstream infections are considered to be one of the most costly and dangerous types of healthcare association infections, with a reported mortality of 12 to 25 per cent.

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Most such infections are associated with central venous catheters placed in intensive care units and, as such, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended five evidence based procedures to reduce the risk.

Staff at Limassol General Hospital introduced the procedures, but found one proved tricky to implement – the removal of the intravascular catheter as soon as it was no longer needed.

Frequently, the problem was that it was difficult to gain peripheral venous access – a further challenge being that this is often an indication for inserting a central venous catheter in the first place.

Staff at the hospital, therefore, decided to implement an ultrasound guided peripheral venous cannulation method. Prior to its introduction, catheter related bloodstream infections were the most prevalent of all device associated infections in ITU patients at Limassol General Hospital.

Following the introduction of UGPVC, they became the least common.

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Finalists

  • University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust: Continuous improvement of infection prevention and control  – Highly commended
  • Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board: “Game of Stools” – a C difficile themed educational board game
  • Moorfields Eye Hospital Foundation Trust and Public Health England: Protecting patients and changing global practice – investigating an outbreak of fungal endophthalmitis after corneal transplants
  • Northampton General Hospital Trust: Using social media to protect patients from C difficile infection
  • Northern General Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust: Hip fracture surgical site infection project
  • The Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, Northern Care Alliance: Reducing the occurrence of C difficile in the gastroenterology wards
  • Warrington and Halton Hospitals Foundation Trust: MSSA on Warrington ICU

 

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HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2018 winners