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Antimicrobial catheters eliminate the need for basic sanitation and full sterile barrier precautions.
False
Basic sanitation and full sterile barrier precautions are indispensable measures for preventing catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI). But they should be considered an adjunct to the use of antimicrobial catheters—not a substitute. Here is one reason why.
There is no guarantee that every healthcare worker will practice proper sanitation 100 percent of the time. Consider the results of a study of healthcare workers’ habits reported in U.S. News & World Report.(1) Caregivers were both observed and interviewed regarding how faithfully they and their co-workers washed their hands after touching a patient. Interviewees said they washed their hands 85 percent of the time; they estimated their co-workers complied only 51 percent. In fact, according to the observers, caregivers washed up only 28 percent of the time.
REFERENCES:
(1) Comarow, A. “Saving Lives: Hospitals Have Signed On to a Six-Part Plan to Avoid a Multitude of Unnecessary Deaths.” U.S. News & World Report, July 18, 2005.
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Institute of Healthcare Improvement
5 million lives campaign
The 5 Million Lives Campaign is a voluntary initiative to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm over the next two years (December 2006 – December 2008).
- IHI 5 Million Lives Website
- Overview
- Participants
- Implement the Central Line Bundle
- IHI Getting Started Kit: Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia How-to Guide
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee
