Chlorhexidine use in reducing risk of infection

Usually, immunocompromised patients are at a higher risk of infection compared to other patients. A systemic review was conducted using the Cochrane and PubMed database to assess the effectiveness of the use of chlorhexidine in reducing the incidence of CLABSI in inpatient settings for patients with lowered immunity. Majority of the studies researched the efficiency of the use of chlorhexidine in the intensive care unit providing a positive indication of the effectiveness of chlorhexidine in preventing central line infections. The systematic review was conducted from both Cochrane and PubMed databases which provided a vast source of research information on the use of chlorhexidine in preventing common nosocomial infections in critically ill patients both in the intensive care unit and in the general inpatient care.

In conducting the database search for the articles, I utilized keywords from the PICOT question and application of Booleans to extend the article searches. Lai et al. , (2012), established that the use of Chlorhexidine cleansing of the skin around the insertion of the central venous catheter provided better central venous catheter infection prevention in patients compared to cleansing the skin with antiseptic or povidone iodine. Chlorhexidine use among the immunocompromised patients with high risk for infection is hence an important intervention in providing prevention from infections during their hospital stay. The findings were consistent with the findings by Ullman et al. , (2015), which established that chlorhexidine soaked dressings reduced the likelihood of infection for central venous catheter patients. , (2016), in a metanalysis of the effectiveness of chlorhexidine bathing in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections established that the effectiveness of the use of chlorhexidine in preventing nosocomial infections in patients was more effective in-patient populations where there was an increased risk of infections among the patient population group.

These findings were consistent with other previous findings from peer-reviewed research articles identified. The article also pointed to the effectiveness of the intervention in preventing the infection with MRSA (Frost et al. The review of the literature provided positive results from credible research findings that support the effectiveness of using chlorhexidine daily bathing for the patients to prevent the occurrence of nosocomial infections. Chlorhexidine cleansing of the skin removes most microorganisms which eventually would result in the infections observed in these patient groups. doi. org/10. 1016/j. ajic. 019 The study by Lowe et al. The outcomes also present the average level of compliance by the health care providers on the utilization of the interventions. The finding of the effectiveness in preventing the occurrence of nosocomial caused by the MRSA and VCE are valid and consistent with other similar findings from previous research articles.

The finding is consistent to the findings by Kim et al. , (2016), who concluded in a systematic review that chlorhexidine bathing had immerse benefits to the patient in reducing the risks of infections methicillin-resistant staphylococcal aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus. These findings were consistent inpatients despite having been done in two different settings of patient care (intensive care unit and the general inpatient care units). The research was conducted in only four units of hospital settings which limits its generalizability due to the limited sample size. The article provides a recommendation for further research involving a wider range of population and clinical care settings to strengthen its applicability into practice and enhance its usability. In practice as a nurse, I would include the research to contribute to providing and contributing in strengthening evidence-based practice in nursing.

The study findings also indicate an adherence rate that is 58% which indicates that the uptake and adherence to the procedure are low among nurses studied. In using the findings of the research, I would ensure proper induction of the nurses into the utilization of the intervention in preventing the occurrence of the infections through ensuring that the nurses are taken through an education session to understand the importance and effectiveness of the interventions in preventing nosocomial infections. This non- aggressive approach to randomization might introduce confounding bias in patient's outcomes hence affecting the results of the study. The recruitment of the patients into the intervention and control groups ought to have involved a more rigorous approach to ensuring no confounding factors that could influence the outcome of the results of the study.

There was no trial bias noted in the research process. All trial interventions were well elaborated in the study. The study succinctly identifies the process through which the application of the interventions was conducted both for the intervention and the control group. This type of research offers a level 1 type of evidence. The type 1 level of evidence is evidence that can be relied on and which provides a strong scientific basis for adoption of a research outcome. The level one outcomes provide strong evidence that the use of chlorhexidine daily baths in patients with critical illness is essential in managing and in the prevention of infections from the common nosocomial causes of infection and disease. The credibility of the article is further enhanced by the articles lack of bias and the strength of the evidence is emphasized by the succinct discussion and presentation of results of the research findings.