An audit of central venous catheter insertion and management practices in two French university hospitals

Objective To assess the compliance with French guidelines for the prevention of central venous catheter (CVC)-related infections in two university hospitals. Methods An observational audit was conducted in 7 wards using a digital tool. Results The prerequisite of hand hygiene (HH) were respected by 90% of health-care worker; 86% performed HH prior to equipment preparation and 59% repeated it prior to infusion. Wearing gloves when necessary and rinsing were respected in 46.7% and 75.6% of the observations. Conclusion Findings showed an acceptable level of adherence to recommended practices for CVC management. However, barriers of unrespect evidence-based recommendations need to be investigated in depth.