Clinical nurse specialist-led QI project reduces infections

A clinical nurse specialist-led quality improvement project at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City significantly reduced central line-associated bloodstream infections in a neonatal intensive care unit. Before the project began, the neonatal intensive care unit experienced more than twice the National Healthcare Safety Network average CLABSI rate at 2.2 per 1,000 line-days. The unit replaced on-demand peripherally inserted central catheter placement with a dedicated team of peripherally inserted central catheter line insertion and maintenance. The project used a continual, rapid-cycle quality improvement model to incorporate evidence-based practices, resulting in a zero CLABSI rate for nine years, with one event since June 2022. The program saved the hospital more than $31 million in prevented CLABSIs. The Journal of Nursing Administration published results in the October issue.