Effect of Education on the Rate of and the Understanding of Risk Factors for Intravascular Catheter–Related Infections

Abstract

CRI can be prevented when hospital personnel are well informed about these infections. We compared the knowledge levels of the relevant personnel in our hospital before and after theoretical and practical training and identified a significant increase in knowledge after training (P<.0001). Parallel to this, although still below ideal levels, we identified a significant improvement in the incidence of CRI during the posteducation period (P=.004). The rate was low for the first 3 months of this period but increased 2.08 times after the third month. In conclusion, regular training for the residents in charge of inserting intravascular catheters and the nurses and interns who maintain the catheters is highly effective in reducing the rate of CRI in large teaching hospitals.