Signature Assignment: CLABSI Prevention in Hospital Settings Through Handwashing

CLABSI Prevention in Hospital Settings Through Handwashing
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Program Name or Degree Name (e.g., Master of Science in Nursing), Walden University
COURSE XXX: Title of Course
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Month XX, 202X
CLABSI Prevention in Hospital Settings Through Handwashing
In modern healthcare practices, central venous catheters (CVCs) are an indispensable resource used in performing hemodialysis, administering medications through the blood to deliver fluids and nutrients, and monitoring hemodynamic status. In the United States alone, over 150 million intravascular devices are sold annually. They are available in different types and sizes based on the purpose and anticipated duration of catheterization. While the application of catheters is vital for current treatment methods, it also poses a danger as a potential infection source. The use of catheters involves an invasive procedure and the subsequent integument leading to complications like exit-site and bloodstream inflections. The pathogens causing these infections either migrate along the surface area of the catheter into the bloodstream or deep tissues of the body or are introduced into the hub of the catheter, where they enter into the lumen. CLABSI, therefore, is among the common health complications that patients are more likely to suffer from when admitted in a hospital setting where the use of the catheters is necessary. Prevention of CLABSI is not a one-step action. Instead, it involves a series of actions, including washing hands, using appropriate skim antiseptic, ensuring that skin prep agents are dry before insertion of the central line and using all the five maximal sterile barrier precautions: mask, cap, sterile gown, and sterile gloves. Washing hands is among the established guidelines for the prevention of CLABSI in care settings.
Resource Articles
CLABSI are preventable infections often contracted within a care setting. The most effective and less costly way of preventing infections is handwashing. As shown in the articles below, adherence to these guidelines helps prevent further infections, longer-hospital stays, increased medical bills, and potentially high mortality rates. Therefore, my proposed solution is the strict adherence to handwashing guidelines besides the other mentioned preventive solutions.
Article 1 (Esposito, Guillari, & Angelillo, 2017)
The purpose of the article was to delineate the attitudes, knowledge, and behavior among nurses in the prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections and their predisposing factors. The study involves a self-administered questionnaire to nurses in outpatient chemotherapy and oncology units in public and private hospitals in the region of Campania (Italy). A majority of the nursing participants knew the main preventive recommendations. These include the use of sterile gauzes, disinfection of needleless connectors, disinfection with hydrogen peroxide, and routine use of anticoagulants solutions. The study found that the need for washing hands before wearing gloves for access to the port of infusion was among the predictors of the likelihood of nurses performing skin aseptic and antiseptic techniques for dressing catheter insertion sites.
The study involved a questionnaire response rate of 71%, where 335 questionnaires out of a potential 472 were collected. Among the key findings is that 85.3% of participants disagree that using gloves before the infusion port eliminates the need for handwashing (Esposito, Guillari, & Angelillo, 2017). The finding indicates that most participants take seriously the recommendation of washing hands regardless of whether gloves will be worn. On the issue of washing hands, best practices highlighted by the nurses include washing hands with antiseptic soap, washing hands for more than one minute, and use of gloves when touching the insertion sites. One of the key determinants of a nurse's likelihood of adhering to handwashing techniques before catheter insertion is the level of education where nurses who attain high levels of education have higher compliance rates than those with lower levels of education. Further, the most accessible sources of information on handwashing as a preventive measure of CLABSI in care sites include courses, workshops, guidelines, and the internet.
According to the authors, over 83.7% of nurses feel they can learn more about this measure. Handwashing is vital because it kills the pathogens that might otherwise enter the insertion site, leading to infections like CLABSI. Therefore, washing hands reduces the likelihood and prevalence of infections. It is therefore supposed to be among the standard procedures and guidelines in care settings.
Article 2 (Woodwar...