Medical professionals often suffer from the stress that comes with inadequate staffing numbers. This negatively impacts patient outcomes – and may result in a lack of time to focus on best standard practices for infection control4 and increase the risk5 for errors. The skill mix of staff may also play a role. A nurse's aide may not have the same expertise that a registered nurse does, and this variable skill mix can increase the incidence6 of HAIs.
However, patient care doesn’t have to suffer under changing staffing conditions. We can make the most of all personnel. For example, studies7 show that improving awareness and compliance of standardized protocols for vascular access procedures decreases infection rates. Monitoring can first help to identify when staff depart from best practices. With that knowledge, hospitals can reinforce comprehensive training of infection prevention across the board or initiate refresher courses.
Watch this video to get the facts about CLABSI (Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection) and gain insight into just how effective a holistic approach really is.
