Quality index in central venous catheters maintenance in an intensive care unit

Abstract

Background: Healthcare-associated infections are one of the main threats to patient safety and quality of care. Although central venous catheters (CVCs) are increasingly used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, they are responsible for about 90% of bacteremia in hospitals. Objectives: To analyze the CVC Maintenance Quality Index (MQI) in an intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital center in northern Portugal. Methodology: Cross-sectional and analytical study. The sample consisted of 35 nurses and 170 CVC maintenance observations using the observation grid adapted from the Directorate-General for Health to determine the MQI. Results: A CVC MQI of 89.2% was obtained. The female gender and being a specialist influenced the CVC MQI (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The CVC MQI was within the recommended values. In-service training and research are essential to improve nursing care.