Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care

Continuous quality improvement in health care is important to identify problems and develop new processes. The past of CQI is to implement, monitor, and study nursing processes to ensure safe, efficient, and effective patient care. According to the CDC central line acquired blood infections account for thirty percent of healthcare-associated infections. CLABSI’s are responsible for increased morbidity, mortality, hospital costs, and length of stay. CLABSI’s can be easily prevented when nurses follow improved guidelines established by CQI. At my current job, our CQI team implemented the reliable care guidelines requiring central lines to be cleaned with a CHG bath every 24 hours. The patient should get a complete bath, bed linen change and clean gown should be provided. Both the nurse and care partner are required to document central line care. The nurse is required to document central line necessity and also complete a flow sheet that is kept at the nurse’s station and reviewed by the clinical nurse leader daily.  I also apply CQI by ensuring that central line care is provided according to the guidelines and documented on my shift. These help keep my patients free from infection and above all ensures my patients do not develop sepsis from a central line acquired infection. As nurses, it is our duty to provide quality care and hold fellow nurses to the same standards.