Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement

Concurrent Education Session - 60 minutes

1208 - Zero Heroes: Knocking out HAIs in the Medical Surgical ICU

Primary Speaker(s)

• 

  Maureen Lansing, BSN, RN, CIC

  Infection Preventionist
  Dartmouth College, The Dartmouth Institute Public Health graduate student
  Alexandria, Virginia

  Nothing to disclose

Second Speaker(s)

• 

  Erin Reynolds, BSN, RN, CCRN, CNML

  Clinical Director of Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit
  Inova Alexandria Hospital
  Kensington , Maryland

  Nothing to disclose

Moderator(s)

• 

  Bassel Molaeb, MPH, CIC, FAPIC

  Infection Control Manager
  Al-Moosa Specialist Hospital - KSA
  Al-Ahsa, Ash Sharqiyah

  Nothing to disclose

Achieving zero infections in a medical surgical ICU is a complex challenge with easily achievable solutions. This session covers the example of an MSICU that implemented an IPC program that culminated in an impressive 594-day HAI-free streak.
Participants will cover the tactics employed including:

• HAI review, including CLABSI, CAUTI, C. diff, and Ventilator-Associated Events;
• Internal communication mechanisms used, including a “Day Since last Infection” posting in the unit;
• Increased transparency around infections and hand hygiene with better information sharing with both leaders and frontline staff; and
• An optimized mandatory skills fair, which transitioned from poster presentations to hands-on review and return demonstrations.

This session will discuss how the MSICU team’s commitment to patient safety led to the creation of several actionable tactics such as the development of a transfer checklist, two-person dressing changes, and Foley inserts, voluntary hand hygiene “policing” on every shift, staff peri care training, and increased physician buy-in.

Participants will explore how these interventions led to sustainable, long-lasting success, especially once the goal of zero infections was achieved. This session will discuss how the implementation team of nursing, IPC, and leadership was able to change belief through experiences to promote compliance and will share strategies, changes in practice, and lessons learned throughout this project.

Learning Objectives:

• To implement processes to reduce CLABSI, CAUTI, C diff and VAE in Critical Care
• Describe techniques to sustain hospital acquired infection reduction strategies
• Engage frontline staff and leaders as partners in change, using