Hospitals are working to train caregivers to prevent central-line infections
by MedPage Today Staff September 19, 2017
As more medical care shifts from the hospital to the home, families are taking on more complex care duties — including maintaining their loved ones’ indwelling catheters. Now, researchers have found that more children with central lines are developing bloodstream infections while being cared for at home, according to Kaiser Health News.
A 3-year study of children with cancer and blood disorders at 15 hospitals found that 716 bloodstream infections were contracted by outpatients, versus 397 among inpatients.
One reason for the problem may be that hospitals have not done enough to help train these families, an expert told KHN.