Through a joint effort to enhance the quality of health care, Kansas hospitals have significantly reduced central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) after one year of participation in the Kansas On the CUSP: Stop BSI project. Working together with the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC), Newton Medical Center has joined 50 other hospital unit teams who are participating in this voluntary national effort to eliminate CLABSI using the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP).
“We are committed to eliminating health care associated infections in our hospital and are proud to be a part of this national initiative,” says Steve Kelly, President and CEO of Newton Medical Center. “Our Infection Control Officer, Kelley Newsom, and her clinical colleagues are tapping into the wisdom of front-line staff and using their input to identify and reduce the chances of harm.”
Evidence shows that infections can be dramatically reduced by following a “safety checklist” which calls for hospital staff to thoroughly wash hands, use maximum barrier precautions, avoid inserting catheters in the groin, cleanse the insertion site with a chlorhexidine antiseptic solution and remove the catheters as soon as they are no longer needed.
Kendra Tinsley, Executive Director of the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC) applauds the achievements of Kansas CUSP teams. “The efforts of these participating hospital units are groundbreaking and effective as evidenced by significant reduction in bloodstream infections within the participating hospitals throughout Kansas after the first year of study.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 250,000 bloodstream infections occur in U.S. hospitals each year, often in patients who have a central vascular catheter, or a tube inserted into a large vein in the chest, which may be used to provide medication or fluids or check blood oxygen levels and other vital signs. CLABSIs are costly in both deaths and dollars. Each CLASBI is estimated to have a 12.3 percent mortality rate, adds an average of $53,000 to the cost of care and adds an average of eight days to inpatient length of stay.
On the CUSP: STOP BSI is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The national partners of this initiative include the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) of the American Hospital Association, the Michigan Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Johns Hopkins Quality Safety and Research group. The goals of the Kansas On the CUSP: Stop BSI project are to eliminate, or at least reduce CLABSI rates to no more than one infection per 1000 catheter days and to improve safety culture on hospital units.
The Kansas Healthcare Collaborative is a provider-led organization dedicated to transforming health care through patient-centered initiatives that improve quality, safety and value. Founded in 2008 by the Kansas Hospital Association and the Kansas Medical Society, KHC embodies the commitment of two of the state’s leading health care provider groups to act as a resource and continually enhance care provided to Kansans. More information can be found at www.khconline.org.
Newton Medical Center is a comprehensive 103-bed hospital in Newton, Kan., offering full-service medical care in Harvey, Butler and northern Sedgwick counties. For more information about Newton Medical Center, please call 316-283-2700 or visit www.newtonmedicalcenter.com.