Aseptic technique for accessing central venous catheters: applying a standardised tool to audit 'scrub the hub' practices.

Background: To reduce the risk of infections associated with indwelling central venous catheters (CVCs), practices for hub disinfection have been widely promoted. The objective of this study was to design and implement a standardised tool to monitor compliance with 'scrub the hub' practices at an Australian centre.

Methods: Review of existing literature and recommendations regarding scrub the hub practices was performed to identify nine key components that could be audited by direct observation of staff in clinical areas.