WVU Medicine United Hospital Center (UHC), located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, is celebrating a noteworthy patient safety milestone. The hospital’s Critical Care Unit has successfully accomplished a year without any instances of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) or Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI). These two primary healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) hold significant weight in hospital-associated morbidity and mortality, making this achievement substantial in the field of patient care. The accomplishment is not just a remarkable stand-alone feat; it is indicative of UHC’s persistent dedication to offering top-tier, evidence-based, empathetic care to patients.
Kara Elko, RN, BSN, the Director of the Critical Care Unit at UHC, credits this achievement to the steadfast focus on patient outcomes and a commitment to excellence displayed by the unit’s bedside nurses. The attainment of such a milestone in a high-acuity environment necessitates unyielding vigilance and a culture that prioritizes patient safety.
CAUTIs and CLABSIs are serious complications often encountered in acute care settings. However, they are largely preventable with a diligent, united front. The achievement of a year free from these infections stands testament to the commitment, careful monitoring, and cooperative atmosphere of safety cultivated by not just the nurses, but also the physicians and infection prevention team of UHC.
UHC reveals that several key initiatives led to this success. These included strict adherence to evidence-based protocols for procedures like inserting and maintaining central lines and urinary catheters, daily collaborative reviews to determine necessity of invasive devices leading to their timely removal, implementing state-of-the-art training methods, and empowering frontline nurses to initiate safety protocols with dedicated champions ensuring compliances.
This accomplishment reflects UHC’s incessant efforts to prevent healthcare-associated infections and showcases the hospital’s dedication to safeguard patients well-being through a culture of high reliability.
United Hospital Center, the result of a merger between St. Mary’s and Union Protestant hospitals in 1970, is a regional community hospital studded with vast array of services. UHC opened its doors in 2010 and stands as a eight-story mammoth structure along I-79 in Bridgeport. Designed to prioritize patients, family, employees, and community, the 736,403 square foot facility hosts 292 private inpatient rooms and a medical staff of more than 366 physicians, advanced practice providers, and allied health professionals. UHC is a proud part of WVU Medicine (West Virginia United Health System) with over 2,613 employees providing high-standard care services. For more information about UHC, please visit their official website.