The development of CLABSI affects the patient’s health condition and poses an additional financial burden on the patient and their families. Prevention of CLABSI is a very challenging task for nurses.

However, with competent CVAD nurses equipped with proper training, innovations and evidence-based interventions being implemented in the hospital, CLABSI can be prevented and could result in positive patient outcome.

AIM

• To decrease the incidences of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) in all patient care areas through adherence to globally accepted, evidence-based guidelines and practices.

• To supervise nurses to be competent in handling patients with CVAD through training, innovation and evidence-based practices and provision of patient and family information in the care and monitoring of CVAD.

CVAD nurses follows the same standard of infection control measures implemented to patients with central lines. However, their duties are focus to monitoring, care and management of patients with central line throughout the hospital which promotes collaboration with nurses assigned in the ICU/ward resulting to positive patient outcome.                                                                                             

CVAD nurses assess patients, flush intravenous lines, change dressings, extract blood samples and access and de-access implanted ports. They coordinate with physicians regarding central line concerns, validate if guidelines are implemented correctly, and do health education with patients and their families.

RESULTS

The results indicate that the interventions implemented has significantly improved at decreasing the CLABSI rate of 3.52% in 2018 to 1.56% in 2019. The succeeding years from 2020 to 2022 showed a marked improvement from 2.40% to 1.00% which clearly strengthened the quality improvement and initiative of the Nursing and Patient Care Services.