A new vascular service at PAH is streamlining the care process for patients and staff alike, allowing for a quicker procedure led by nurses at the bedside.
PAH’s Vascular Access Surveillance Team (VAST) has launched its first nurse-led bedside PICC insertion service on 17 July in a 12-month pilot program, becoming the second public hospital in Queensland to implement this method.
The service, which enables specially trained CNCs to insert peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) at the bedside, has been rolled out in collaboration with Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) VASE team.
PAH Clinical Nurse Consultant and project leader Matty McDonnell says the service is enhancing patient outcomes and reducing staff required by fast-tracking both PICC bookings and insertions.
“Typically, PICC lines are inserted in Interventional Radiology by a Registrar, and it requires four or five clinicians and an X-ray to confirm placement,” he said.
“With the 3CG technology, trained nurses can go to the patient's bedside, essentially putting the PICCs in the same day, or within 24 hours of the request.
“When it comes to the procedure, with this model we're able to insert the PICC in 30-45 minutes and go, so effectively, we've halved the time it takes to put a PICC line in.”
Matty says it was a passion for improving patient outcomes that drove the project.
“The sooner we can get the line into that patient who needs to have chemotherapy, or an urgent blood transfusion, or antibiotics to treat an infection, it means that they are getting treatment ASAP and it means their outcomes are better.
“My focus is optimising patient outcomes and ensuring that the patients get the best outcome from the get-go. If I can deliver that through this service, that is my focus.”