Since 2011, DPC has been involved with the BSI Prevention Collaborative and was the first patient group to participate and attended the inaugural meeting in November 2011. The primary goal of the collaborative is preventing bloodstream infections in hemodialysis patients with the secondary role of increasing awareness in the dialysis community. The group is open to most outpatient dialysis facilities throughout the United States and other community partners. Facilities that participate get access to best practices from experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and from others who are directly applying safety precautions in their own clinic. Members also have the ability meet in-person and over the phone on monthly calls, have the opportunity to get feedback on their efforts, gain contacts in other facilities and get access to loads of data and information. DPC and more recently the DPC Education Center has been an active participant in these activities providing feedback on behalf of patients and even served on the Dialysis Technical Advisory Board that is wrapping up production of a video demonstrating some of the best practices in action.
Now there is evidence to support the obvious idea that all of the work was worth it. On May 13, 2013, CDC announced the publication of a BSI Prevention Collaborative Paper in the American Journal of Kidney Disease, which stated a 32% decrease in bloodstream infections and a 54% decrease in vascular access infections for those that used the new prevention guidelines. The results go on to show how much this could mean for patient safety and healthcare costs. To view the entire press release click here. To view the research paper in its entirety click here.
