National CLABSI Project Reduced ICU Infection Rate 41%

Sabrina Rodak -

Hospitals that participated in the On the CUSP: Stop BSI project reduced the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections in hospitals' adult intensive care units by 41 percent over two years, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

AHRQ released a final report on the national On the CUSP: Stop BSI project, which began in 2008 and was funded by AHRQ. The initiative was led by a partnership of the Health Research & Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and the Michigan Health & Hospital Association's Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality — together forming the National Project Team. The National Project Team provided education, data collection and program management to participating states.


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A total of 44 states the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico participated in the two-year program, bringing more than 1,000 hospitals and 1,800 hospital units. States could join the program in 2009, 2010 or 2011.

Through On the CUSP: Stop BSI, states reduced their adult ICU CLABSI rate from 1.915 infections per 1,000 line days to 1.133 infections — a decrease of 41 percent. In addition, by quarter six, the percentage of units with zero CLABSIs for at least one quarter reached 68 percent from a baseline of 30 percent.

These improvements are estimated to have averted 290 to 605 deaths and $36,194,850 to $40,034,450 in excess costs, based on a Centers for Disease Control & Prevention estimate of the cost per CLABSI. However, a systematic review of the cost of CLABSI indicated the cost may be higher, which would increase the savings from the project to $97,756,628 to $244,270,620, according to the report.

More Articles on the On the CUSP Project:

Patient Safety Tool: CLABSI Toolkit
Patient Safety Tool: Physician Engagement Self-Diagnostic Worksheet

National Patient Safety Project Reduced CLABSI by 40%

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