DJ Shannon, MPH, CIC, VA-BC, FAPIC: No financial relationships to disclose
Multiple attempts have been made to establish a vascular access team; none of which have been successful. Previous attempts have focused on different "pain points" to justify the need for a vascular access team. All current and previous Business Operations reviews show a financial loss.
As a result, Infection Prevention has initiated catheter-associated bloodstream infection surveillance to advocate for the need for vascular access specialists. Retrospective 2022 surveillance followed standardized surveillance definitions from the National Healthcare Safety Network and included the last month of each quarter (i.e., March, June, September, December). Of the possible 86 infections, Infection Prevention identified 18 confirmed infections. These infections alone account for over an estimated $650,000 in additional healthcare costs.
Infection Prevention aims to use this data as one part of a business plan for the proposed vascular access team implementation. Furthermore, this data will be used to justify the need to maintain all vascular access devices the same (e.g., bundle care). Results of the hospital strategic planning decision will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Explain the process taken for building a vascular access team business plan
Identify the difficulties of strategic planning for the non-business-oriented professional
Discuss identified catheter-associated bloodstream infections and associated future surveillance directions
