Saving Lives audits: do they improve infection prevention and control practice?

Abstract

Aretrospective audit evaluation was conducted to determine whether the introduction of two clinical skills trainers for four months in a district general hospital improved compliance with infection prevention and control practices. Saving Lives (Department of Health, 2010) peripheral venous cannula and urinary catheter high impact intervention audit data were analysed for six months before, four months during and six months after the clinical skills training was implemented for six control wards and seven intervention wards. Findings showed that although the control wards did not improve compliance significantly over the study period, the intervention wards improved compliance with the high impact intervention care bundles studied and that this practice was sustained for six months after the clinical skills training. The findings suggest that education is required to improve clinical skills surrounding cannulation and catheterisation, which can then be sustained by Saving Lives audits to reduce the risk of infection to patients.