University of North Carolina researchers found several interventions, including "strict enforcement of hand hygiene," can reduce infections and mortality while improving costs, according to a UNC release.
Three interventions were implemented in a pediatric intensive care unit:
Strict hand hygiene practices. These included requiring healthcare personnel to wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based rub upon leaving or entering a patient's room, before putting on and taking off gloves and before and after touching any contaminated surfaces.
Intervention bundle for ventilator-associated pneumonia. The intervention bundle for preventing VAP includes elevating the patient's head while he or she is on a ventilator and daily oral care.
Intervention bundle of central-line catheters infections. The intervention bundle for preventing central-line complications include assessing whether a patient still needs a catheter twice a day.
Implementing these three interventions led to shorter patient stays, lowered patient mortality and cost savings of approximately $12,000 per patient. The researchers noted implementing these measures were cost-efficient.
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Three interventions were implemented in a pediatric intensive care unit:
Strict hand hygiene practices. These included requiring healthcare personnel to wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based rub upon leaving or entering a patient's room, before putting on and taking off gloves and before and after touching any contaminated surfaces.
Intervention bundle for ventilator-associated pneumonia. The intervention bundle for preventing VAP includes elevating the patient's head while he or she is on a ventilator and daily oral care.
Intervention bundle of central-line catheters infections. The intervention bundle for preventing central-line complications include assessing whether a patient still needs a catheter twice a day.
Implementing these three interventions led to shorter patient stays, lowered patient mortality and cost savings of approximately $12,000 per patient. The researchers noted implementing these measures were cost-efficient.
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