Mr Robert Robinson1, Ms Kim Armati2, Mrs Stephanie Kiely2
1Hunter New England Local Health District, Newcastle, Australia, 2Solventum, North Ryde, Australia
Biography:
Robert is a Clinical Nurse Consultant for the Infection Prevention Service at Hunter New England Local Health District.
Robert has 23 years working Infection Prevention and Control.
He has an interest in the products we use that are safe for patients, and opportunity for staff to be provided with education/training.
Abstract:
Working in partnership with Solventum was instrumental to ensure a smooth transition to standardise the use of 3M™ Tegaderm™ CHG Chlorhexidine Gluconate I.V. Securement Dressing (Tegaderm CHG dressing) for Central Venous Access Devices (CVADs) across our Local Health District (LHD).
A review of literature in early 2023, supports the use of Tegaderm CHG dressing to reduce the incidence of Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections (CLABSIs) for adults over the age of eighteen years. Our objective was to minimise the rate of CLABSIs in our adult patients by introducing and standardising the use of Tegaderm CHG dressings across the LHD.
Regular meetings were planned in 2023 to assess progress, identify concerns and roll out ongoing training. Lead trainers were identified and train-the-trainer sessions completed. Education and training were provided for specialty staff on application, removal, and management of Tegaderm CHG dressing. This occurred over a twelve-month period to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills to apply, remove, and manage Tegaderm CHG dressings.
Twelve months after implementation there has been a reduction in CLABSI rates across the LHD, and local policy, procedure compliance documents were updated to reflect best practices.
The importance of working together with Solventum and their technical experience of the product; highlights the partnership companies have with healthcare facilities (workers) to ensure we use quality products, be provided with ongoing support which is guided by evidence-based practice which benefits our patients.