Nursing management of the prevention of infections of central venous catheters : an observational study

Abstract

The aim of this research study is to investigate nursing management of central venous catheters, in relation to infection prevention. Central venous catheters are indispensable in critical care. However, such catheters require meticulous management so as to prevent complications, the most common being catheter-related infections (Boxleitner & Valle 2001). The review of the literature suggests that nursing practice is one factor that significantly affects the rate of central venous catheter-related infections (Rigdon 2001, Parker 1999). The aim of this study is to investigate local nursing practice during the care of central venous catheters. A convenience sample of twelve state registered nurses who had worked in the intensive care unit for more than a year was utilized and each of the nurses was observed for 2 and a half hours with the help of an observation checklist. A pilot study was undertaken in order to detect any flaws in the tool. The results suggest that local nurses seem to have good awareness of the importance of infection control during hand decontamination and accessing the central venous catheter. However, drug administration and changing of an intravenous infusion set are attributed with a lower frequency of proper infection control practice. Improvement is also desired in the dressing change procedure since practice does not always confonn to research-based recommendations as regards infection control measures. It · is therefore recommended that further education is provided as regards the general principles of infection control. The study is perceived to be of value since there seems to be a dearth of observational research regarding this subject. Further research is suggested, including larger scale studies and self-report methods (questionnaires or interviews) in order to investigate and improve nursing practice.