In their voices:
Benjamin Price
, RN
Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women
As a CLABSI (central line associated blood stream infection) champion, I’m part of an
interdisciplinary collaborative of neonatal, pediatric and cardiology experts selected to
evaluate and improve our current processes to decrease our CLABSI numbers. The
critical care nursing and medical frontline staff compared processes among all three
neonatal intensive care units and analyzed best practices at other children’s hospitals to
develop a more efficient process to reach our goal of eliminating CLABSIs. The group
created a line change cart to provide a clean, dedicated work space for line preparation,
storage of all line care supplies, and mobility to be moved all throughout the unit. Keeping
our infection rates down is a continual group effort among all staff. The key to change is
getting the caregiver’s input about what works. Allowing that collaboration was the best
way to have staff buy-in. The initiative was key to improving our CLABSI rates in 2013
from 2.4 per 1,000 central line days in 2012 to 1.5 in 2013.
I am passionate about providing the best care possible to newborns and using evidence-
based practices.
