An audit of central venous catheter insertion and management practices in two French university hospitals

Abstract

Objective To assess the compliance with French guidelines for the prevention of central venous catheter (CVC)-related infections in two university hospitals. Methods An observational audit was conducted in 7 wards using a digital tool. Results The prerequisite of hand hygiene (HH) were respected by 90% of health-care worker; 86% performed HH prior to equipment preparation and 59% repeated it prior to infusion. Wearing gloves when necessary and rinsing were respected in 46.7% and 75.6% of the observations. Conclusion Findings showed an acceptable level of adherence to recommended practices for CVC management. However, barriers of unrespect evidence-based recommendations need to be investigated in depth.