Safety Culture: Clinical Characteristics and Prevention of Venous Catheter Infection in Critically Ill Patients

To evaluate the clinical characteristics of critically ill patients and decision-making for safety culture in the face of the prevention of infections related to the use of venous catheters. Documentary study in 104 medical records of intensive care patients. A form was used with identification data, clinical characteristics, and actions associated with the catheter. Descriptive statistical analysis. Females predominated, aged greater than 60 years (45.7%), with Systemic Arterial Hypertension (42.0%), 91.3% used a type of central venous catheter, being semi-implanted (88.5%) using antibiotics (92.0%), due to lung disorders (40%) and genitourinary (33%). Catheters remained from 1 to 7 days (30.7%), 22.1% had suspected bloodstream infection with positive blood culture. It was concluded that the safety culture was identified with weaknesses in the prevention of infection. Elderly with chronic disease, under antibiotic, with catheter removal within 7 days, with suspected infection and positive blood culture, predominated.