Abstract Introduction: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) continue to be major contributors to morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and increased costs, particularly in limited-resource and high-burden tertiary healthcare settings. Infection control practices are essential to ensure safe therapeutic treatment, requiring compliance to address deficits in high-burden tertiary hospitals. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify gaps in safe infusion practices and evaluate the impact of a focused training program among nursing personnel using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium guidelines. Methodology: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in intensive care units and general wards of a tertiary care hospital in North India. A 12-item prevalidated questionnaire assessed nurses’ baseline knowledge. A 10-parameter direct observation checklist was used to assess compliance. Posttraining knowledge and practice were reassessed. Statistical significance of pre–post differences was tested using McNemar’s test and paired t -test. Results: At baseline, 54% of participants scored above 50% on the knowledge questionnaire, with a mean score of 6.2 ± 1.3 (out of 12). Posttraining, the mean knowledge score improved to 10.1 ± 1.0 ( P < 0.001, paired t -test). Checklist audits showed improved compliance in 7 of 10 parameters, although documentation and aseptic precautions during emergencies remained weak points (44% and 65%, respectively). These gaps likely reflect high workload, emergency time constraints, and documentation fatigue, suggesting the need for streamlined approaches such as self-assessment tools or digital checklists. Conclusion: The study highlights persistent gaps between knowledge and practice in infusion safety, even after structured training. Institutional audits and repeated training cycles are essential to sustain high standards of infection control, especially in the postpandemic era.
Singh et al. (Wed,) studied this question.