Extract:
“Regular surveillance of central lines is a core infection prevention strategy to promote early detection and response to issues that could increase risk for central-line–associated bloodstream infections. Timely response can mitigate high-risk events. Visual observation of central-line insertion sites is one key way to assure basic practice, but education is needed to ensure that observers are trained to detect relevant problems that should prompt an LVN/RN to take action or prompt a CNA to inform an LVN/RN to assess the line.
Our observations showed that failure to recognize redness, cloudy drainage, peeling dressings, and lapses in dressing change dates was extremely common for CNAs and LVNs/RNs in all NHs surveyed. Furthermore, when stratifying central-line insertion sites by severity (eg, minimal versus substantial erythema and/or cloudy drainage), nursing staff identification of problematic elements improved only minimally for higher-severity insertion sites. Directed training could enable proper recognition and response as well as encourage teamwork.”
Reference:Nguyen KP, Singh RD, Saavedra R, Gohil SK, Billimek JT, Tam SP, Steinberg KE, Porter L, Huang SS. Central-line team effort: Recognizing insertion-site concerns in nursing homes. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2023 Aug 4:1-3. doi: 10.1017/ice.2023.165. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37539731.