Plan to Reduce Improper Care of Peripherally-inserted Central Venous Catheters in Outpatient Chemotherapy Patients

This project aims at improving peripherally-inserted central venous catheter (PICC) care in chemotherapy outpatients. From February to March 2011, 16.8% of PICCs were not cared for properly. The main problems encountered were dermatitis, catheter obstruction and catheter slippage. These problems were caused by lack of wound care guidelines for the PICC, the nursing staff's lack of knowledge and skills for PICC nursing care, and patients and their families’ lack of knowledge regarding PICC home care. Improvement plans included: 1. To establish norms for care of normal and abnormal PICC wounds and produce instructional videos; 2. To design correct flushing and butterfly fixation methods of the PICC. 3. To develop the transparent waterproof protective jacket and to produce a home nursing care manual and instructional video. After implementation of this project, the rate of improper PICC care decreased to 6.1% in September to November 2011, thus achieving the goals of this project. This PICC care project not only enhanced the professional knowledge and skills of nurses, but also the knowledge of patients regarding self-care.