QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO REDUCE CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETER–ASSOCIATED PRIMARY BLOODSTREAM INFECTION (CLABSI) IN A PRIVATE HOSPITAL

Central venous catheter–associated primary bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are important adverse events in healthcare services and are associated with increased hospital morbidity and mortality, length of stay, antimicrobial use, and healthcare costs. Despite these impacts, they are highly preventable. To evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary quality improvement project coordinated by the Hospital Infection Control Service (SCIH) on the incidence density of CLABSI (ID-CLABSI) in a high-complexity private hospital complex in São Paulo. Retrospective institutional data analysis from January 2024 to May 2025. The intervention began in July 2024 and involved creation of a crisis committee with monthly meetings to coordinate CLABSI prevention actions across sectors. Actions included multidisciplinary team training on CVC insertion and maintenance, systematic bedside audits by the SCIH team, and continuous educational actions involving the hand hygiene team. Monthly data on CLABSI numbers, CVC-days, and ID-CLABSI (events per 1,000 CVC-days) were extracted. Pre-intervention (Jan–Jul/24) and post-intervention (Aug/24–May/25) periods were compared. Shapiro–Wilk tests assessed normality, and comparisons were made using Mann–Whitney tests. STATA version 17 was used. The aggregated pre-intervention ID-CLABSI was 1.69 CLABSI/1,000 CVC-days, while the post-intervention rate was 1.21 CLABSI/1,000 CVC-days, representing a 28% reduction. However, despite reductions in absolute numbers and incidence density, the Mann–Whitney test did not show statistical significance (p = 0.377). The intervention showed a trend toward reduced CLABSI incidence density, although without statistical significance. The short evaluation period may explain this finding, and continued monitoring is necessary.