Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are serious infections that occur when germs (usually bacteria or viruses) enter the bloodstream through the central line. At the Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH), optimal safety practices to prevent
conditions like CLABSI are part of routine care. ACH is working with patients and their caregivers to be part of the CLABSI prevention effort.
Most recently, the Safest Together - CLABSI working group developed the “Caring for Your Central Venous Access Device (CVAD) at Home Checklist†to guide the CVAD discharge teaching. The working group performed a stakeholder review including families, consulted
with other SPS centers, and reviewed the literature to help guide the decision to transition to the use of sterile dressing trays in the home, utilizing an “all in one†sterile dressing tray.
Over the next month, feedback from healthcare staff and patients and families will collected on the introduction of the new resources and the use of the sterile dressing tray. The final checklist will be available online for families.
Safest
Together is constantly working to adopt evidence-based practices that have been shown to reduce hospital acquired harm. By participating in this initiative and involving families as part of our safety team we get one
more step closer to reaching zero CLABSIs at ACH.
