Our research committee is looking for topics for studies and I would like to consider doing something related IV therapy / picc lines. I thought about doing something with piccs and DVTs. Anyone have other suggestions for areas that need further research? Thank you.
Just look through the INS standards of practice and locate all of the practice criteria statements where we have ranked them as V, the lowest level. All of those are in serious need of reseach. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
I would suggest you go to the INS website, www.ins1.org, look in the Knowledge Center and then go to the Clinical Nursing Forum. if you enter the word "research" in the search box you will get many questions which need research to validate answers. There is a whole world of research required in the infusion field. I'm certain you and your team will be able to get many suggestions on appropriate topics. Good luck.
Marvin Siegel RN CRNI
Director of Clinical Services
Town Total Health
NY, NY
1. Can CRBSI be reduced by having the ventilator and tubing on the opposite side of the infusion tubing.
2. Test the stability of coated catheters by infusing drugs with extreme ph. No one knows if the coatings are effective in the presence of high or low ph.
3. Culture nurses hands after they wash upon entering room, but right before they touch the vascular access device. What was picked up from bed rail, IV pump etc.
4. Publish studies showing the huge variety and inconsistency of Radiologists interpretation of cavo-atrial junction.
Put it in SIR.
5. It is fairly common knowledge that implanted ports tunneled to the IJ perform much better than subclavian ports, yet oncologists will often refer to surgeons for port placement. Exposé why quid pro quo referral patterns are not in the patients best interest.
I better stop there!
Stephen Harris RN, CRNI, VA-BC
Chief Clinical Officer
Carolina Vascular Wellness
Thank you-great suggestions.
Our vascular access team changes all the picc dressings throughout the hospital and with the excep
Here are a few
Occlusion rates - Occlusions are not well reported in the literature. You could sleuth each occlusion and just report what you find.
An early study by Maki reported that Swan lines had a much higher rate than other CVCs. The answer may lie in the way arterial lines are cared for. There is not much done with PIVs. Arterial lines have stopcocks and it may be how these catheters are cared for that is the real problem. The CVC is the default cause of BSI. So the question is how many CR-BSI patients also have a peripheral or arterial catheter.
Lastly, At the recent AVA conference an Italian doctor discussed using liquid suture for the insertion site after PICC was inserted. He had terrific results. The insertion sites healed completely. When you add in the new discussion of the link between insertion trauma and CR-BSI it looked very interesting. Not sure if you hospital is using liquid suture.
Lastly, there is only one study that looks at how much a floor nurse spends on IV related activities. The published study includes the questionaire. You might just repeat the study in your institution
Just a few thoughts.
Denise