Backus receives hospital association award
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The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) has recognized The William W. Backus Hospital with a major award that highlights the potentially life-saving work of many staff members.
The 2008 John D. Thompson Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Healthcare Through the Use of Data was awarded June 17 at CHA’s annual meeting. Backus was selected because it eliminated central-line associated bloodstream infections in the Critical Care Unit for 12 consecutive months, from April 2007 through March 2008. That success has continued in April, May and June.
“Central lines” are tubes that are passed through veins to administer fluids and medications. They are used extensively for sicker patients in Critical Care Units (CCUs).
Avoidable infections related to central lines cause up to 4,000 deaths in U.S. CCUs each year, according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Applying national mortality statistics for central line infections to Backus, the staff’s actions potentially save an additional two to four lives a year in the CCU.
The Backus CCU has been able to keep its infection rate at zero for more than a year through the adoption of evidence-based guidelines, standardization of protocols and data-driven equipment selection.
“I want to congratulate our staff for their hard work on this important patient safety initiative,” said Thomas P. Pipicelli, President and Chief Executive Officer at Backus. “Their systems-oriented approach to this complex issue is saving lives. Our entire organization is proud of their accomplishment and recognition by CHA.
”Karen Long, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Backus, said a council comprised of CCU staff members looked at each step in the process of inserting a central line and worked with other departments and committees to change practices and improve results.
“This patient safety success story is the result of frontline caregivers doing the right thing, every day,” she said. “Working in a collaborative manner, staff dissected the process to identify incremental solutions. Addressing it a step at a time, a complicated issue was resolved. This is a successful approach anyone can use as a model to make outcome improvements.”
Backus formed a multidisciplinary team to take a “zero-tolerance” approach. This group included the CCU Practice Council, nursing leadership, the Infection Control and Patient Safety Committees, and representatives from the Critical Care Medical Staff, Interventional Radiology, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and the Intravenous Therapy Team.
The group reviewed literature and best-practice guidelines, evaluated risk factors, and developed a plan using evidence-based interventions to reduce and eliminate these infections.