Impact of an Educational Program for the Prevention of Colonization of Intravascular Catheters

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Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of an educational program for the prevention of catheter colonization. Design: Two cross-sectional studies were carried out in a 500-bed randomly selected area of the hospital, separated by an educational program on the care of intravenous lines based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for the control of catheter-related infections. Setting: A 2,100-bed urban general hospital affiliated with the University of Madrid (Spain). Methods: Characteristics of patients and catheters and appropriateness of catheter care were evaluated. Cultures were taken from the point of insertion of the vascular catheter, the hubs, and infusion fluids. When catheter-associated infection was suspected, the distal end of the catheter was sent for culture and two blood cultures were taken. We compared the clinical and microbiological data before and after carrying out an educational program based on CDC recommendations for the control of catheter-related infections. Results: Characteristics of patients and catheters did not differ between the two cross-sectional studies. Compared with baseline data, after the educational program we observed a reduction of inappropriate catheter care, from 83% to 38% (45% difference, 95% confidence interval [$CI_{95}$], 55% to 35%, P