Impact of a comprehensive care bundle educational program on device-associated infections in an emergency intensive care unit

Introduction Implementation of care bundles was shown to reduce the incidence of device-associated infections (DAIs). Substantial improvements in the rate of infection have been achieved by applying educational programs for infection control. Objectives: To demonstrate the impact of a comprehensive care bundle educational program (CCBEP) on DAIs, mortality rates in an emergency Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and improving healthcare workers (HCWs') knowledge, compliance to care bundle, and infection control practice. Methods A quasi-experimental study was carried out in an 15-beds emergency ICU, from May 2017 to October 2018. A comprehensive care bundle educational program was implemented. It covers items regarding device care bundle and infection control. Results Device care bundle compliance was variable between different bundle items. There was a significant improvement in HCWs' knowledge after the educational program intervention especially in hand hygiene, catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) bundle, and total knowledge. There was a higher risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and CAUTI in the pre-intervention phase compared to post-intervention (RR: 1.4, 1.4, and 1.9 respectively). The total mortality rate decreased from 24.2/100 to 16.7/100 patients after intervention. Conclusion There was a statistically significant improvement in compliance with device care bundles with a decrease in the incidence of DAIs.

Automated summary

The implementation of a comprehensive care bundle educational program significantly reduced the incidence of device-associated infections and improved healthcare workers' knowledge and compliance with care bundles and infection control practices. The mortality rate also decreased after the intervention, indicating the effectiveness of the program in improving patient outcomes.