Co Comparing the Effect of Intensive Care Unit Nurses as Teachers of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Prevention in Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur Punjab Pakistan

Abstract

Background: CLABSIs have been a primary source of morbidity and mortality in hospitals, especially in resource-constrained environments. Infection prevention is an essential task which nurses have, and therefore their knowledge and practices are critical to the reduction of CLABSI.

Purpose of the study: It was a study that determined the role of ICU nurses in preventing CLABSIs at Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH), in Bahawalpur, in terms of their knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers.

Methods: This study was a descriptive cross -sectional study carried out on 100 ICU nurses. The information was gathered using the structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and direct observations. The SPSS (version 25) was used to analyze the quantitative data, whereas the qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis.

Findings: The majority of the respondents were knowledgeable about the definition of CLABSI (80 percent), insertion of catheters (75 percent), and hand washing (70 percent). Infection preventive practices, including the use of sterile barriers, hand hygiene, and dressing procedures, had a 90-95-percent compliance. Nonetheless, factors such as lack of training (50%), staff short (40%), workload (35%), and resource limitation (30%) were a setback based on total compliance.

Conclusion: The overall awareness and practice of ICU nurses in BVH are high, and on the whole, good regarding CLABSI prevention. However, institutional issues, especially the lack of training options and insufficiency of resources hamper long-term compliance. Improving continuous professional education, making resources available, and imposing supervision systems are necessary measures in achieving the rates of CLABSI reduction in critical care units.