Elliot Hospital Honored for Excellence in Patient Safety

Elliot Hospital received the 2021 Honoring Excellence in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Award from New Hampshire Foundation for Healthy Communities. The honor was recently presented at New Hampshire Hospital Association’s annual meeting. This prestigious recognition was earned through collaborative efforts to provide high quality patient care and ensure a strong culture of safety.

Elliot Hospital’s success is due to the commitment of several departments including the ICU, Intravenous (IV) Therapy, Infection Prevention, Patient Safety, and many others. Collaboration among these departments made it possible to reach a five-year milestone without a central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI), in March 2021. CLABSIs occur when bacteria enter the bloodstream via a central line. Patients severely ill with COVID -19 are at a higher risk to develop CLABSIs.

Nationally, CLABSI rates in ICUs have climbed to concerning levels for patients with COVID-19. Elliot Hospital successfully manages this challenge.

To achieve this success, the team used a comprehensive approach. The efforts included policy revisions based on literature reviews, staff education, and the adoption of new, evidence-based products called Curos caps and Prevantics wipes, which protect the lines from infection and decrease the length of time required for proper line maintenance.

“In the midst of challenging times during the pandemic, achieving five years CLABSI-free is a true testament to the vigor and engagement of all team members, and their sustained dedication to patient safety during every single patient encounter,” said Hannah Sharp, Elliot Health System’s Patient Safety Officer. “While it was the effort of a focused improvement initiative that drove change, the culture in the ICU was ripe for adoption of these new practices and committed to ongoing watchfulness in order to sustain them.”

CLABSI prevention and central line maintenance improvement work fits into a bigger system of harm prevention and patient safety at Elliot Hospital.

“This award recognizes a hospital who demonstrates a continued commitment to quality improvement and achieving better health outcomes and Elliot Health System is doing just that,” stated Peter Ames, Executive Director of the Foundation for Healthy Communities. “We’re so pleased to recognize Elliot for their continued success and commitment to delivering high quality care to their patients.”