Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Cheryl Holly

Abstract

Central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) are the most acquired hospital infection in the United States. CLABSI is caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream through a central line. In the United States, CLABSI has a mortality rate of 18%, and every year 250,000 people are infected. Of these, 30,000 patients die due to CLABSI infections, hospital stays are prolonged, and hospital costs are increased. Patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) are more exposed to CLABSI because of procedures that break tissues and skin, such as the insertion of a central line. A gap in practice was identified in a Southeastern U.S. state where staff were not following standard protocol for the prevention of CLABSI, including hand hygiene. The focus of this project, therefore, was on the development of an educational program on CLABSI to increase nursing staff knowledge regarding preventive measures and to determine whether these measures were effective in reducing CLABSI rates two months following the program. The analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model were used as guiding frameworks for this study. A stakeholder group of six experienced ICU nurses assisted in the planning, implementation, and evaluation. Seventy-nine of 90 eligible staff nurses participated in the project (88%). Using a pretest/post-test design, results indicated an increase in knowledge from the pretest (M=9.59) to the post-test (M=13.63) on a 15-item test. In addition to improved scores, there was a decrease in the rates of CLABSI after the education session. The approximate percentage rate decrease post education was11.38% in a 54 bed ICU that spanned four units, thus promoting positive social change.

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