CDC: Bloodstream Infections Reduced 58 Percent Nationwide

N.J. Efforts Surpass National Average, Save $1 Million

PRINCETON, N.J., March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A report released yesterday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that central line-associated bloodstream infections declined by 58 percent in U.S. hospital intensive care units. The New Jersey Hospital Association's Institute for Quality and Patient Safety has long led the charge to reduce bloodstream infections (BSIs) and reports that in New Jersey, the incidence of BSIs dropped by 81 percent over the last two years.

As part of a national effort called "On the CUSP: Stop BSI," 39 New Jersey hospital intensive care units reduced healthcare costs by about $1 million and reduced the amount of time patients spent in the hospital by 160 days over a two-year period. In addition, all 39 New Jersey ICUs scored better than the national average in reducing the incidence of BSIs.

NJHA partnered with the Johns Hopkins Quality and Safety Research Group, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American Hospital Association's Health Research & Educational Trust and the Michigan Hospital Association's Keystone Center for this highly successful initiative.

Nationwide, the CDC reports that the decline in BSIs saved up to 27,000 lives and $1.8 billion in healthcare costs.

NJHA's initiative brought together healthcare professionals from hospital ICUs for an intensive program that included education, the standard use of best practices and sharing of strategies, data and experiences. Specifically, the participants were expected to educate staff with a standardized fact sheet and in-house training, develop standardized processes with checklists for the insertion of central lines and catheters, review catheters daily to see if they could be removed and empower staff to intervene if they observed that the standardized best practices were not being followed.

"Thanks to this effort, there are scores of New Jersey residents with better health and an improved quality of life, enjoying time with their families and loved ones," said Aline Holmes, RN, NJHA's senior vice president of clinical affairs. "This is thrilling news to the New Jersey healthcare professionals who dedicated themselves to this effort. These hospitals and their staffs saved lives through hard work, a commitment to improve and a willingness to change."

Note: The CDC report is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm60e0301.pdf.

Contact NJHA for a list of local hospitals that participated in the initiative.

SOURCE New Jersey Hospital Association