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How to educate patients on PICC line post-acute care

Case Management Weekly, April 7, 2004

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Patient education is an important factor in the care and maintenance of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) lines, says nurse educator Connie Fincher, RN, BSN, of Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, CA. It's long term therapy since patients go home with these catheters. "You can teach the patient and caregiver to care for the PICC line at home, but remember that it's very difficult for a patient to change a PICC dressing with one hand, she says. Set it up so there is a caregiver in the home to perform PICC line maintenance. Fincher says to go over the following questions with patients before discharge:

 Pre-insertion: What is a PICC? Why does the patient need one? How should they insert it?
 Post-insertion: What should a patient look out for after insertion? How should the patient care for the PICC. Is there a way to detect if something is wrong?

Source: Community Memorial Hospital, Ventura, CA

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