Compliance with central line bundle policies in intensive care units (ICUs) across the nation appears to be low, although complete compliance is not needed to see a reduction in central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), a new analysis shows.
E. Yoko Furuya, MD, MS, from Columbia University in New York City, presented the findings at an oral session here at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections 2010.
"Just having a bundle policy was not enough to reduce CLABSI rates; it was also necessary to monitor and maintain compliance," Dr. Furuya told Medscape Infectious Disease. With the new Joint Commission mandate for central line insertion checklists, bundle use will increase but, she emphasized, "we may or may not see a decrease in infection rates if people fail to maintain high compliance with the bundle, not just in terms of documentation, but also in actual practice."
Dr. Furuya and colleagues hypothesized that high compliance rates were needed to decrease CLABSI rates.
