Road map for improvement: Point prevalence audit and survey of central venous access devices in paediatric acute care

Abstract

Aim: To identify the prevalence, management and complications associated with central venous access devices (CVADs) within Australian paediatric facilities, providing a map for clinicians, researchers and managers to focus solutions. Methods: A point prevalence audit and survey of CVAD practices in Australian tertiary paediatric hospitals between September and November 2015, using validated data collection tools. Results: Across the six sites, 1027 patients were screened with CVADs prevalent in 26.1% (n = 268), and 261 CVADs in 248 patients available for audit. Variations in management were evident with dressings not meeting the basic criteria of clean, dry and intact for 13.5% of CVADs (n = 35), and non-sterile dressings used to reinforce 26.4% of CVADs (n = 69). Almost half of CVADs (49.4%; n = 132) had no documentation regarding site assessment in the previous 4 h, and 13.4% had no planned use in the next 24 h (35 CVAD). CVAD-associated complications within the previous 7 days were evident in 9.5% of CVADs (n = 27), most commonly catheter blockage (5.7% CVAD, n = 15), and bloodstream infection (1.9% CVAD, n = 5). Peripherally inserted central catheters (16.9%) in comparison to other catheter types (7.4%; P = 0.04), and subsequent CVADs (14.1%) in comparison to initial CVADs (6.5%; P = 0.04), had significantly higher proportions of CVAD-associated complications in the previous 7 days. Variation between the sites’ guidelines was evident across many practices. Conclusions: CVADs are prevalent and essential for paediatric health care; however, complications remain a significant problem. Areas identified for improvement were local CVAD guidelines, regular documentation of CVAD site assessment and review of dressing products to improve integrity.L6132957382016-11-24 <br />2017-03-14 <br />