Current situation of establishment of peripheral inserted central catheter nurse-led clinics in 743 hospitals in China

Abstract

Objective To investigate the current situation of peripheral inserted central catheter (PICC) nurse-led clinics (NLCs) establishment in China, so as to provide references for PICC NLCs management. Methods A total of 759 hospitals in 28 provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government and autonomous regions) were conveniently selected. From October to November 2018, a questionnaire survey was conducted using the Survey of Nursing Conditions of Intravenous Therapy in Hospitals at All Levels, designed by the Professional Committee of Intravenous Therapy and Nursing of the Chinese Nursing Association. In this study, 759 questionnaires were distributed in 28 provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government and autonomous regions) and 743 valid questionnaires were collected yielding an effective recovery rate of 97.9%. Results A total of 421 out of 743 hospitals have PICC NLCs, accounting for 56.7%. In the 2 002 visiting nurses, 83.8% had bachelor degree or above, and 73.3% had the title of competent nurse or above. In 45.1% hospitals they can take up their posts through hospital internal examination and certification, and in 2.1% of hospitals they can take up their posts without special certification. 65.6% of hospitals suggested that lack of supporting policies was the main difficulty in the preparation of PICC NLCs. 61.7% of hospitals said that the difficulty in determining the compensation mechanism was the main difficulty in the operation of PICC NLCs. Conclusions PICC NLCs has taken shape, and a team of high-quality PICC specialist nurses has been initially built in China, but the conditions of post access need to be clarified. It is suggested that relevant departments formulate relevant supporting policies such as management mode, salary distribution and market mechanism of PICC Nurse-Led Clinics as soon as possible so as to maximize and embody the professional value of PICC specialist nurses, promote the sound development of our country's NLCs, and thus bring into play greater economic and social benefits. Key words: Outpatient clinics, hospital; Specialist nursing; PICC; Investigation