Article Text
Abstract
Background Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) provide reliable intravenous access for delivery of parenteral therapy. Yet, little is known about PICC care practices or how they vary across hospitals. We compared PICC-related processes across hospitals with different insertion delivery models.
Methods We used a descriptive qualitative methodology and a naturalist philosophy, with site visits to conduct semistructured interviews completed between August 2018 and January 2019. Study sites included five Veterans Affairs Medical Centres, two with vascular access teams (VATs), two with PICC insertion primarily by interventional radiology (IR) and one without on-site PICC insertion capability. Interview participants were healthcare personnel (n=56), including physicians, bedside and vascular access nurses, and IR clinicians. Data collection focused on four PICC domains: use and decision-making process, insertion, in-hospital management and patient discharge education. We used rapid analysis and a summary matrix to compare practices across sites within each domain.
Results Our findings highlight the benefits of dedicated VATs across all PICC-related process domains, including implementation of criteria to guide PICC placement decisions, timely PICC insertion, more robust management practices and well-defined patient discharge education. We also found areas with potential for improvement, such as clinician awareness of PICC appropriateness criteria and alternative devices, deployment of VATs and patient discharge education.
Conclusion Vascular access nurses play critical roles in all aspects of PICC-related care. There is variation in PICC decision-making, care and maintenance, and patient education across hospitals. Quality and safety improvement opportunities to reduce this variation are highlighted.
- nosocomial infections
- nurses
- patient safety
- qualitative research
Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. Deidentified, anonymised data that support the findings of this study will be made available by the corresponding author, SLK, on reasonable request and with a letter of agreement.
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Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. Deidentified, anonymised data that support the findings of this study will be made available by the corresponding author, SLK, on reasonable request and with a letter of agreement.
Footnotes
Twitter @Sarahlkrein, @vineet_chopra
Contributors SLK and VC: study concept and design, conduct interviews, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of the manuscript and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. MH: study design, conduct interviews, analysis and interpretation of data, and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. MQ and KEF: conduct interviews, analysis and interpretation of data, and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.LEW and BRG: analysis and interpretation of data, and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.
Funding This study was funded by US Department of Veterans Affairs (HSR&D IIR 15-313 and RCS 11-222). The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the US Federal Government.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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