Peripheral and central venous catheters are commonly used in health care delivery worldwide. These devices increase a patient’s risk for developing bloodstream infections (BSIs) and other local infections in and around the insertion site. In this course, you will learn about case definitions of BSIs due to catheter use, its epidemiology and the risk factors for acquiring BSIs.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course you will:

• define key terms and case definitions;
• describe the epidemiology and risks for infections associated with the use of peripheral and central venous catheters;
• describe best practice for catheter insertion;
• describe best practice for catheter care and removal;
• describe approaches for conducting BSI surveillance;
• list prevention practices that help reduce BSI; and
• explain how multimodal strategies can effectively prevent infections associated with the use of peripheral and central venous catheters.

Course duration: Approximately 2 hours.

Certificates: A Record of Achievement will be issued to participants who receive at least 70% on the post-test. You have an unlimited number of attempts to meet the threshold. Participants who receive a Record of Achievement can also download an Open Badge for this course. Click here to learn how.