Reviewed by Clare Marlin, MS, BSN, CIC, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab
Morgenstern and colleagues created a novel, nurse-led screening resource to assess risk-level (high, moderate, or low) for acquiring a central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), as well as present actionable guidance to prevent CLABSIs within pediatric critical care settings.
The authors utilized evidence-based risk factors, reviews of root cause analyses, and clinical assessments of the patient population to develop the weekly screening resource. This resource comprised three elements: 1. “Risk Factor;” 2. Criteria or descriptions for such factors (i.e. “Qualifier”); and 3. Actions for CLABSI prevention (i.e. “Response/Risk Mitigation”). The three most common risks for CLABSI were hospitalization ≥ 30 days, the placement of the catheter close to an area on the body which may contaminate the insertion site (i.e. near a tracheostomy), and a catheter dressing which may need to be replaced.
Through dedicated and multidisciplinary team-oriented screening, and collaboration on central venous catheter (CVC) rounds, the researchers detected an increase in the amount of time between CLABSIs. Overall, patients at high-risk for developing CLABSIs were identified, which optimized implementation of the screening resource’s methods to prevent CLABSIs and clinicians surveyed reported increased awareness of CLABSI risk factors and prevention strategies.
Reference:
Morgenstern, S., Thompson, K., Panton, S., Donnelly, V., Pau, S., Nelson, K., Booth, L., McIlquham, T., Kitlas, J., Schumacher, C., Milstone, A. M., Bernier, M., & Sick-Samuels, A. C. (2025). Identifying high-risk central lines in critically ill children: A novel nurse-driven screening and mitigation intervention to reduce CLABSI. American Journal of Infection Control, 53(3), 381–386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2024.10.029
