Staffing pressures and workflow variability are realities across many healthcare settings, and both can make consistency in care delivery more difficult to sustain. In these environments, standardized protocols, such as antiseptic skin cleansing practices, play a critical role in helping maintain reliable infection prevention and patient outcomes.
Staff turnover can create challenges in maintaining consistent infection prevention practices, which may contribute to a higher risk of infection control deficiencies during regulatory surveys.1 More so, it can be considered an important factor related to the spread of infections.2 In fact, 1 in 31 patients will contract at least 1 healthcare-associated infection during their hospitalization.3
How do we reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections following the challenges presented by high nursing staff turnover? Here are a few opportunities for improvement within healthcare facilities:
Standardized Workflows
Insights from “Optimizing and Sustaining Clinical Outcomes in 88 U.S. Hospitals Post‑Pandemic: A Quality Improvement Initiative” reinforce that systemwide standardization, when coupled with performance feedback and accountability, meaningfully reduces infections and safety events across diverse hospital settings.4 This large‑scale initiative underscores how unified clinical process standards support safer, more reliable care for every patient, every day, with:
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Standardized infection reduction: Marked declines in standardized infection ratios across multiple HAIs, including central line-associated blood-stream infections (CLABSI) (-24.8%), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) (-30.6%), hospital-onset (HO) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia (-29.0%), and HO Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) (-35.1%).4
- These documented improvements provide a strong reference point linking standardization to consistent, sustainable reductions in infections and safety events, aligning with goals to improve reliability and quality outcomes.
In a 2017 CLABSI and HCAHPS audit at Abilene Regional Medical Center, infection preventionist Paulina Rodriquez, MSN, RN, HMCS, IP, found that while antiseptic skin cleansers helped prevent hospital-acquired infections, patients complained about the method of CHG product application, leading to noncompliance with hygiene protocols. The answer was a switch from chlorhexidine gluconate wipes to a 4% CHG foam skin cleansing protocol and dry, disposable wash cloths. Disposable cloths like the Hibi® Universal Bathing System (HUBS) mimic a regular soap and water bath without the risk of contamination of a basin. In tandem with patient education and compliance monitoring, CLABSI rates decreased by 67.7% within eight months.5
"Compliance rose and staff reported patients were asking for 4% CHG skin cleansing solution."
Team-Based Care Models
Infection prevention is a shared responsibility. Fostering comprehensive care with a team of healthcare professionals allows focused care for every patient, every day. Streamlining decision-making processes and developing standardized protocols are essential components for optimizing team-based care.6
Cross-Training
Cross-training on core infection prevention practices, such as antiseptic skin cleansers with chlorhexidine, gives nursing staff the opportunity to transition between teams without compromising protocol adherence. In addition to mandating education for new staff, providing ongoing infection prevention training can help ensure compliance and consistency of care. Knowledge centers like the Mölnlycke Clinical Learning Hub offer insights from industry professionals and clinical learning opportunities that can help enhance skills and improve patient care.
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Staffing variability and caregiver turnover can impact infection control outcomes. However, there are opportunities to implement effective change that can help mitigate infection risk with standardized workflows and cross-training. Patients, hospitals, and healthcare professionals have a variety of choices preventing infections at every step, like using 4% CHG skin cleansing solution such as HibiClens®. |
For more information and educational resources regarding infection risk mitigation, visit molnlycke.us/solutions/hibi or contact us at HibiUS@molnlycke.com
References:
1. Loomer L , Grabowski DC , Gandhi A (University of Minnesota–Duluth; Duluth, MN). Association between nursing home staff turnover and infection control citations [Internet]. Rochester (NY): SSRN; 2020 [cited 2021 Jan 21]. (Working Paper). 2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/joom.1245. 3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Winnable Battles Final Report-Healthcare Associated Infections. Accessed September 2022. 4. Mohamad G. Fakih, MD, MPH;Florian Daragjati, PharmD, BCPS;Lisa K. Sturm, MPH, CIC, FAPIC; Optimizing and Sustaining Clinical Outcomes in 88 US Hospitals Post-Pandemic: A Quality Improvement Initiative. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety 2025; 51:86–94. 5. Rodriquez, P., MSN, RN, HMCS, IP, Reducing Infections and Increasing Patient Satisfaction: One Hospital’s Journey. In Practice, 2018. 6. Sutton RT, Pincock D, Baumgart DC, Sadowski DC, Fedorak RN, Kroeker KI. An overview of clinical decision support systems: benefits, risks, and strategies for success. NPJ Digit Med. 2020 Feb 6;3:17. doi: 10.1038/s41746-020-0221-y. PMID: 32047862; PMCID: PMC7005290.
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