Using quality improvement science to reduce healthcare-associated infections

I am an experienced registered nurse with over a decade of practice in health care, including 5 years in the field of infection prevention and control (IPC). Like many of my colleagues, I faced numerous challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, an experience that has strengthened my commitment to nursing and patient safety.

I have led several quality improvement initiatives at my organisation, which led me to receive the Gold Award in the Infection Prevention Nurse of the Year category this year at the BJN Awards. Here, I would like to present a summary of some of these initiatives.

In October 2022, a quality improvement strategy was implemented in response to an increase in the number of central lineassociated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) at a local intensive care unit (ICU). Baseline data were collected over 3 months to observe the practices for inserting and maintaining central venous catheters (CVCs) and identify potential lapses in care. Unfortunately, the audit revealed significant concerns around the care that CVCs received.