Preventing Vascular Access-Associated Infections: Best Practices in Acute Care Settings 

CE-ACUT-VAAI-V1.0

Course Description

This course provides acute care professionals with practical, evidence-based strategies to prevent vascular access-associated infections across insertion, maintenance, surveillance, and response activities. It focuses on device-related risks, contamination pathways, bundle compliance, and early recognition of infection. The course is designed to support safer vascular access practices and reduce preventable bloodstream infections in acute care settings.

Prerequisites / required prior knowledge

  • None required
  • Intended audience: Nurses, vascular access teams, infection prevention professionals, quality teams, supervisors, educators, and clinical leaders involved in device insertion, maintenance, surveillance, or improvement work.
  • Recommended: Familiarity with vascular access devices, aseptic technique, and routine acute care infection prevention practices.

Delivery

Online
Self‑Instruction (Asynchronous)

Credit

1.0 continuing education hour (Self‑Instruction)

Cost

$149 CAD 

Availability window

Available on demand  Access for 1 year after enrollment
Meet the instructor

Kamyab Ghatan

MD, AL-CIP™, CIC®, LTC-CIP®, DISIPC, CDIPC
Dr. Kamyab Ghatan is a medical doctor and infection prevention leader who develops practical, standards-based training for diverse environments, including acute and long-term care, ambulatory and dental clinics, veterinary practices, and construction/renovation settings. His work spans infection prevention, surveillance, water management, sterile processing, and implementation science, with a focus on translating standards into workflows teams can actually use. Dr. Ghatan is the founder of the International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP).

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Describe the burden, definitions, and epidemiology of vascular access-associated infections in acute care settings.
  • Differentiate among vascular access device types and explain how insertion site, dwell time, and invasiveness influence infection risk.
  • Apply evidence-based insertion and maintenance practices, including hand hygiene, barrier precautions, and hub disinfection, to prevent extraluminal and intraluminal contamination.
  • Analyze patient, procedural, and maintenance risk factors that contribute to catheter-related bloodstream infections and identify early clinical signs of infection.
  • Evaluate infection surveillance data and develop improvement strategies that sustain high bundle compliance and reduced CLABSI rates within the clinical unit.

Completion requirements:

Learners receive credit after viewing all required content, passing the post‑test/final assessment with a minimum score of 80% (up to three attempts), and submitting the course evaluation. If a learner does not achieve 80% within three attempts, they must re-do the course (re-complete required content) within their access period before attempting the assessment again. Upon successful completion, learners may download a certificate of completion.
Provider: International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP)
Learner Support: support@icicp.com

Frequently asked questions

Disclosures (conflict of interest / proprietary interest)

The instructor(s) and planners report no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies related to this educational activity.

Commercial support

None. This activity received no commercial support.

Non‑vocational licensing disclosure

This course/program does not require approval under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.

Content independence statement

Educational content is non‑promotional and designed to be independent of commercial influence; any trade names used are for identification only, and alternatives may be discussed.