Striving for Zero CLABSIs

Are central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) preventable or are they an unavoidable consequence of complex medical care? In a new campaign, "I Believe in Zero CLABSIs," the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has teamed with patient safety expert Peter Pronovost, MD, of Johns Hopkins, to mobilize infection preventionists to prove that prevention is possible.

This new campaign will bring infection preventionists together to add strength and professional momentum to the many CLABSI reduction projects that are currently underway. APIC members are encouraged to join in this collective effort intended to increase adoption of the checklist tool used successfully by Pronovost and to promote a culture of safety related to device-associated infection prevention.

The Zero CLABSIs campaign is based on the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone Project, led by Pronovost and launched in 2003. Using a standardized, consistent approach, Pronovost and his colleagues in Michigan conclusively demonstrated that CLABSIs are preventable. Since that time, many other acute-care facilities have replicated the techniques used in Michigan and have also achieved dramatic CLABSI reductions.

Yet in spite of evidence that CLABSIs can be prevented, this type of infection remains a persistent, costly and deadly infection in the United States.

To address this issue, APIC and Pronovost have launched a new campaign to mobilize infection preventionists. This "call to action" is a focused effort to increase awareness of the impact of CLABSIs on patients, practitioners and providers, as well as help shift organizational culture away from treatment and toward prevention. As shown in Michigan, these efforts will help prevent thousands of infection-related deaths and simultaneously save millions of healthcare dollars.

APIC will be adding additional information on this project to its Web site at www.apic.org. For the latest news from "On the CUSP Stop BSI," the ongoing collaboration of Johns Hopkins University, Michigan Hospital Association and the Heath Education Research Trust, visit www.safercare.net/OTCSBSI/Home.html