A charge nurse is concerned about a recent increase in facility-acquired catheter infections. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?

A. Schedule nursing staff training for infection control procedures: While staff education is essential to prevent catheter-associated infections, initiating training before identifying specific contributing factors may not address the root cause. Education should be targeted based on identified needs. B. Revise the current policy for catheter care: Policy revision can improve compliance and standardization of care, but changing protocols without understanding why infections have increased may be ineffective or unnecessary. C. Identify possible precipitating factors related to the infections: The first step in quality improvement is to assess and identify the underlying causes of the problem. Determining precipitating factors allows the facility to implement targeted interventions that effectively reduce catheter-associated infections. D. Meet with providers to discuss measures to decrease the infections: Collaboration with providers is important for multidisciplinary interventions, but this should occur after identifying factors contributing to the increase in infections to ensure discussions are evidence-based and focused.