Translating Quality and Infection Control into Tangible Terms: A Tertiary Care Centerʹs Contribution to the Institute of Heathcare Improvement (IHI) 100K Lives Campaign

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It is difficult for quality and infection control services to show tangible benefits of their programs. The IHI has launched a nationwide campaign to prevent healthcare-associated deaths with a goal to save 100,000 lives (http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/Campaign). METHODS: A tertiary care center examined mortality rates since 2001. In 2002 a variety of quality and infection control initiatives (i.e. strict enforcement of and real time feedback of compliance with evidence based measures for prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and surgical site infections) were instituted in its intensive care units. Active surveillance was performed in all intensive care units in the hospital. Mortality projections were constructed for each fiscal year had the mortality rates remained the same from the baseline period, and calculations were made of the “saved lives” taking into account the actual mortality for each period. RESULTS: As the infection control and quality initiatives reached widespread acceptance, important changes occurred in the infection rates in the different units, such as remaining under the NNIS 50th percentile at least 60% of the time or the total absence of certain infections for prolonged periods of time in exemplary units. As seen in the graph below, global hospital mortality was reduced from 4 to 3%, projecting a total of 383 avoided deaths since 2002. image CONCLUSIONS: Quality and infection control initiatives may have a substantial impact on hospital mortality rates. The benefits of these programs need to be translated into tangible terms that motivate the hospital staff, such as “lives saved”.