The CDC has a brand new blog

And I like it! I especially enjoyed the post by our own Phil Polgreen, which features his iScrub application. Alex Kallen also has a nice recent post on prevention of CLABSI outside the ICU, which is a topic overdue for attention.

However, I did wince when I read about this event:

“I believe in zero CLABSIs!” shouted a group of 3,400 APIC Annual Conference attendees at the conclusion of patient-safety leader Dr. Peter Pronovost’s opening session.

Why does this make me uncomfortable? It isn’t because I haven’t bought into the power of CLABSI prevention efforts—we have units whose efforts have pushed CLABSI rates to zero for months at a time, and we celebrate that. I also think that most infection preventionists (IPs) understand the difference between a rah-rah, go-get-‘em, “aspirational” BHAG on one hand, and a realistic assessment of what is preventable on the other.

The problem is that many people don’t understand this difference. Among them are fellow healthcare workers, hospital administrators, reporters, the general public, third-party payers, and malpractice attorneys. To them, 3400 infection control experts witnessing to their belief in zero CLABSIs means that every CLABSI must be preventable, and therefore that every CLABSI represents an unconscionable breach of practice. We’ve blogged before about some of the potential unintended consequences of the “zero” paradigm. Fudged definitions, antibiotic overuse, pitched battles between unit personnel and IPs over every device-associated infection, and an atmosphere of blame and punishment, just to name a few.

The fact is that not every CLABSI is preventable. Most are, but not all. Even Peter Pronovost’s hospital's ICUs, though they have wonderfully low rates, still experience CLABSIs. If we follow perfect processes of care, we should be able to prevent those infections that arise from around the catheter insertion site, and those that are introduced exogenously. But what about those arising from gut translocation of bacteria in a critically ill patient? Even the most aggressive gut decontamination regimen (which will inevitably accelerate antimicrobial resistance rates) won’t be able to prevent organisms from gaining access to the catheter in this way.

We should be able to mobilize the troops to drive CLABSI rates to their irreducible minimum without setting unachievable goals. I do admit that “getting to zero” is a catchy phrase, though, and very well-suited to campaigning for lower infection rates. The theme I proposed for our latest CLABSI prevention campaign was roundly rejected….and I still don’t understand what was so wrong with: “Zero Is Great, But One Every Few Months Is Pretty Darn Good, Too”.