Regulatory Requirements for Catheter Reinsertion: Ensuring Compliance and Best Practices

Introduction

The main goal of this project is to develop the activities with the help of which the prevention of complications and PICC line reinsertions could be possible. It is not enough for nurses to learn the rules and follow the given guidelines. It is necessary to comprehend the importance of appropriate catheter insertions and the regulations that have to be followed. Nursing is a social institution where the needs of people should be met, and specific health services should be offered regarding the requirements, including human and environmental conditions (Orem & Taylor, 2011). In this paper, a regulatory requirement, nursing competency in placing PICC lines, that is pertinent to the project “Prevention of Complications and PICC Reinsertions in Kendall Regional Medical Center”, will be discussed.

A Complete Description of the Regulation

The current regulatory requirement underlines the importance of nursing competency in such a crucial process as insertion and reinsertion of PICC lines. As a rule, nurses should place PICCs when patients are in their beds to defray any possible interventional radiology procedures and provide patients with comfort and support (Meyer, 2012). Besides, nurses have to be trained enough to understand what to expect from this procedure and what rules have to be followed. Therefore, such regulatory requirement as nursing competency for PICC line reinsertions in Kendall Regional Medical Center should consist of several points:

1. A nursing license;
2. Qualifying training and practice;
3. Hand hygiene;
4. Appropriate environment;
5. A guide that contains information about PICCs, its peculiar features, and the possible outcomes of its usage (Hammes et al., 2015).

Nursing competency is the regulation that includes several crucial tasks for any nurse and the description of the environment that cannot be neglected for a successful PICC line reinsertion (Jeffrey & Werthman, 2015).

Why There Is a Need for This Regulation

Some nurses and policymakers could think that such regulation as nursing competency has been already offered and supported by many states, local, and federal regulations, including the Board of Nursing, CCNE, and ACEN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2016). However, the peculiar feature of this regulation is the possibility to combine several issues and requirements for nurses and use one certain point for consideration. It is not enough to have a nursing degree or to establish an appropriate environment for catheter insertions to prevent complications and PICC line reinsertions. Nursing competency is what required to be followed. Complications and reinsertions could be avoided only in case a nurse is competent enough, meaning properly trained and educated, able to choose an environment, and follow hygiene rules. Besides, there is a need for a special guide for nurses on how to insert PICCs. Even if a nurse is skilled, it is helpful and effective to look at the guide that is at hand and consider the needs of a patient and the peculiarities of a procedure.

How to Communicate and Implement This Regulation

There are several ways to communicate and implement this regulation in the chosen clinical setting. On the one hand, it is necessary to check if nurses comprehend what it means to be competent to avoid complications and what PICC insertion complications could be. On the other hand, it is obligatory to provide nurses with enough materials and resources so that they could follow all requirements and regulations and avoid the mistakes that could occur during a catheter insertion process. Therefore, the implementation should occur in four main stages:

1. The introduction of the regulation and explanation of nursing competency as a crucial and obligatory combination of the requirements for all nurses, who have to deal with catheters, PICCs in particular.
2. The assessment of knowledge could be offered in the form of tests and quizzes which nurses should take regularly. As a rule, the task is interesting and does not take much time.
3. The provision of special guides for nurses with visual and word descriptions on how to insert catheters and what to do in case a mistake or challenge occurs.
4. Communication with an RN nurse or another leader, who should take responsibility for the clarification of the regulation. Such meetings should be organized once per quarter.

The Basis for Determining Regulatory Compliance

The basis for determining regulatory compliance should include the evaluation of statistics and the results of assessments offered to nurses. Each month, it is necessary to gather the information about all cases of PICC insertions, identify the number of reinsertions, and describe the complications if any. As soon as the statistical data is improved, and the number of complications is decreased, the success of the regulation could be proved. Besides, the worth of nurses’ assessment is proved when nurses start demonstrating their intentions to pass tests and check if their knowledge and experiences are improved.

Conclusion

In general, the idea to offer nursing competency as the main regulatory requirement has its strengths. It helps nurses comprehend what they should do to succeed in inserting catheters and avoiding complications. Besides, visual materials and resources promote the improvement of care quality. Finally, this regulation does not cost a lot and may be implemented in a short period.

References

Hammes, M., Desai, A., Pasupneti, S., Kress, J., Funaki, B., Watson, S… Hines, J. (2015). Central venous catheters: Incidence and predictive factors of venous thrombosis. Clinical Nephrology, 84(1), 21-280.

Jeffrey, A.D., & Werthman, J. (2015). Successful orientation strategies for radiology nurses. Journal of Radiology Nursing, 34(2), 94-99.

Meyer, B.M. (2012). Developing an alternative workflow model for peripherally inserted central catheter placement. Journal of Infusion Nursing, 35(1), 34-42.

National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2016). A changing environment: 2016 NCSBN environmental scan. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 6(4), 4-37.

Orem, D.E., & Taylor, S.G. (2011). Reflections on nursing practice science: The nature, the structure, and the foundation of nursing sciences. Nursing Science Quarterly, 24(1), 35-41.