A community collaborative to develop consensus guidelines to standardize out-of-hospital maintenance care of central venous catheters.
Central venous catheter (CVC) maintenance is integral to preventing complications and improving outcomes. This process is made more challenging when patients transition from hospital to home care or to an outpatient infusion setting, because different CVC maintenance practices and care parameters confuse patients and care providers alike. Through collaboration and consensus building, a group of metropolitan home health and home infusion agencies developed a standardized approach to CVC maintenance care. This article discusses the multiagency collaborative and resulting guideline and other educational materials that better enable providers, patients, and families to maintain CVC integrity and achieve optimal outcomes.
Nebraska Medicine, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska (Dr Nailon); and Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska (Dr Rupp). Regina Nailon, PhD, RN, facilitates interprofessional research and meaningful use of data in clinical decision making at the Nebraska Medical Center. Her primary research focus is aimed at improving health outcomes and the infrastructure necessary for the delivery of safe and appropriate care across the care continuum. Mark E. Rupp, MD, is professor and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is also the medical director of the Department of Infection Control and Epidemiology. Dr Rupp studies device-associated infections, staphylococcal disease, and antimicrobial stewardship.
Regina
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Mark E
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D062905:Central Venous Catheters / Q000592:standards*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic