Effort reduces hospital ICU infections 40%

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BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Central line-associated bloodstream infections in U.S. hospital intensive care patients dropped 40 percent after a special effort, a U.S. official says.

Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services, said the project used the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program, which prevented 2,000 infections, saving more than 500 lives and avoiding more than $34 million in preventable healthcare costs.

Clancy and key partners from the American Hospital Association and Johns Hopkins Medicine discussed the dramatic findings at the AHRQ annual conference Monday in Bethesda, Md.

"The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program -- created by a team led by Dr. Peter J. Pronovost at Johns Hopkins Medicine -- shows us that with the right tools and resources, safety problems like these deadly infections can be prevented," Clancy told the conference. "This project gives us a framework for taking research to scale in practical ways that help front-line clinicians provide the safest care possible for their patients."

Central line-associated bloodstream infections are one type of healthcare-associated infection that affect patients while they are receiving treatment for another condition in a healthcare setting.

The effort is a customizable program that helps hospitals combine clinical best practices with an understanding of the science of safety, improved safety culture and an increased focus on teamwork.