You are only as good as your data: Developing an electronic picc database

The elevation of vascular access to specialty status mandates an increased responsibility for the demonstration of clinical quality and evidence of effectiveness. Although patient outcomes have always been important, the need to capture, qualify, and quantify outcomes has become essential to survival in today's competitive healthcare environment. Data collection and interpretation are integral steps in the ongoing process of outcomes analysis. Standardization in the definition of outcome indicators is imperative for accurate analysis and trending of performances that represent best practice. This article demonstrates how the development of an electronic PICC database can assist the practitioner in providing the evidence for evidence-based practice.