Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare-associated viral respiratory infections at a tertiary care pediatric hospital.

The incidence of healthcare-associated viral respiratory infections in a pediatric hospital decreased from 1.6 /1,000 patient-days in 2019 to 0.2 /1,000 patient-days in 2020 (P < .01), and this was maintained in 2021 despite an increase in community circulation of respiratory viruses. Universal masking, stricter infection control measures, and pandemic public health interventions likely accounted for this improvement.

Use of dry dressings for central venous access devices (CVADs) to decrease central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) in a trauma intensive care unit (ICU).

RESULTS: In the 12 months following the change in practice, we noted a CLABSI reduction from 2.36/1,000 catheter days to zero, improvement in dressing audits from 19.61% to 85.34% of clean dressings (P=0.00001) and 62.75% to 90.58% of adherent dressings. Conclusion: In this pre-post study, a simple change in dressing type was implemented, resulting in a significant reduction in the CLABSI rate.

Nurses' knowledge on routine care and maintenance of adult vascular access devices: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Vascular access devices (VAD), centrally (CVAD) or peripherally (PIV) located, are common in the nursing profession. A high proportion of admitted patients require a VAD to enable administration of intravenous treatments or diagnostic modalities. As the primary caregivers for these patients, nurses are responsible for ongoing care and maintenance of these devices. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review examines the current state of practicing nurses knowledge around routine care and maintenance of adult VADs. METHODS: In the fall of 2018, the following databases were searched: Medline-Ovid 1946 to current, Embase-Ovid 1947 to current, Ebsco CINAHL Plus with full text and ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health database, and articles were selected according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. INCLUSION CRITERIA: original research published in peer-reviewed journals; in English or French; and focused on practising nurses' knowledge about the routine care and maintenance of adult VADs. RESULTS: Of the 4,099 abstracts identified, 36 full-text articles were included. Study characteristics are reportedin addition to themes found in the literature: the relationship between demographic data and CVAD/PIV knowledge, the state of nurses' CVAD/PIV knowledge and nurses' CVAD/PIV knowledge scores. Overall, significant gaps in nurses' knowledge on the care and maintenance of VADs are noted. CONCLUSION: The variability in nurses' knowledge around both CVAD and PIV led the authors to conclude that there is room for improvement in the educational preparation of nurses and a need for workplace training. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This scoping review intends to highlight the knowledge gap of nurses with regard to best practices for VAD routine care and maintenance and demonstrate the need for education, both in educational and healthcare institutions, to ensure high-quality care and improved patient outcomes.

Impact of arm selection on the incidence of PICC complications: results of a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to determine if right arm peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) experienced fewer complications while controlling for gender, hand dominance, history of malignancy, dwell time and catheter size. METHODS: This was an intention-to-treat randomized controlled trial conducted in an academic medical center on two different sites between September 2012 and September 2015. All patients older than 18 years or age without known history of previous central line, contraindication to the use of a specific arm or hospitalized in the intensive care unit regardless of coagulation status, were considered for the study. Participants were randomized to the left or right arm group and were followed until catheter removal. Data collected included: PICC characteristics, insertion details, gender, arm dominance, history of malignancy, reason for insertion/removal, incidence of a complication and total dwell time. One-tailed hypothesis testing using a univariate logistic regression with odds ratio (OR) calculation was used to analyze the results. There were 202 patients randomly assigned, totaling 7657 catheter-days; 103 patients to the right-side group and 99 patients to the left-side group. RESULTS: Participants in both groups were statistically equivalent for right handedness, gender, oncologic status, average dwell time and total catheter days. The overall incidence of complications on the right side was 23% versus 34% on the left side, confirming the hypothesis that right-sided insertions led to fewer complications (p = 0.046). The risk of a complication was reduced by 40% with right-sided insertion (OR 0.58 (CI: 0.31-1.09). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated fewer complications with right-sided insertion irrespective of hand dominance.

What Is Your KVO? Historical Perspectives, Review of Evidence, and a Survey About an Often Overlooked Nursing Practice.

Like many nursing "sacred cows," the practice of keeping a vein open with a small infusion of intravenous solution does not have clear origins or robust evidence. A survey of Canadian nurses was conducted to determine current practices. More than 50% of respondents reported regularly using a keep-vein-open (KVO) rate between doses of intermittent medication. Frequently, the rate was not specified by the prescriber; in this case, nurses preferred 21 to 30 mL/h. Given the absence of evidence and the frequent use, it is important to ensure that KVO is used properly in the context of a medical prescription or an organizational protocol.

Insertion of PICCs with minimum number of lumens reduces complications and costs.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate catheter requests at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) led to significantly increased costs and early catheter malfunction or infection. Dual-lumen catheters were often requested and inserted when only a single lumen was required, and inappropriate catheter care on the wards led to early infection or thrombosis. METHODS: A full-time registered nurse was hired to analyze and transform the vascular access program of the MUHC. Catheter selection was streamlined on the basis of clinical unit need. Clinical and cost data were collected between May 2011 and January 2012. RESULTS: Requests for vascular access at the MUHC have been standardized and centralized. Single-lumen catheters are inserted unless a specific indication for a dual-lumen catheter is provided. To date, data have been collected on >4,000 catheter insertions, both before and after the switch to the single-lumen program. Dual-lumen catheters have been required in only 50% of cases. Reinsertion rates have decreased, leading to the first year-over-year reduction in peripherally inserted central venous catheter insertion since data collection began in 2002. The program has also resulted in significant reductions in central line-associated bloodstream infection and catheter-related thrombosis. Decreased maintenance and reinsertion costs have led to overall savings for the MUHC of approximately $1.1 million.

Making collaborative self-management successful in COPD patients with high disease burden.

BACKGROUND: Exacerbations in severe COPD patients lead to challenges in terms of self-management. This study is a "real-life" situation aiming to assess whether or not it is possible for COPD patients with high burden of disease to self-manage acute exacerbations and to reduce hospital use. METHODS: 100 randomly selected charts of patients followed in a specialised COPD clinic in 2006 and 2009 (patients with higher burden of disease) were reviewed. Data on patients' characteristics, COPD severity and exacerbation management were extracted. RESULTS: Compared to the 2006 cohort, patients from the 2009 cohort had lower (0.85 L), but not statistically significant different FEV1 (L) than the 2006 cohort (0.98 L) and more exacerbations (2.6 exacerbations/pt vs 3. 6 exacerbations/pt, p = 0.03). Despite having a higher burden of disease, patients in the 2009 cohort as compared to 2006 had more appropriate self-management behaviours in the event of an exacerbation (60% vs 42%, p = 0.05) and fewer emergency room visits and/or hospital admissions (39% vs 57%, p = 0.02). There were more phone calls to the case managers (590 vs 382, p < 0.001) and fewer physician office visits (167 vs 179, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: This study of a real life situation adds to the current body of literature that a more severe COPD patient population can be taught self-management skills in the event of exacerbations, leading to fewer health care visits and hospital admissions.

Factors influencing the use and nonuse of continuous positive airway pressure therapy: a comparative case study.

The rates of sustained use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy among adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) appear consistently suboptimal, despite the efficacy of this treatment. Using semistructured interviews, this study identified facilitators and barriers toward CPAP therapy after treatment initiation among patients with OSA. A purposive sample of eight patients representing extreme differences in CPAP use was recruited from a multisite sleep disorders clinic at a tertiary health center. Perceived physical, psychological, and social factors were found to influence both CPAP use and nonuse. It was revealed that the way patients feel about themselves influences the ways in which they manage their OSA with or without CPAP This study underlines the necessity of working with patients and their families to create social environments that are both accepting and supportive of patients with OSA.

Building a successful DCD program: planning and leading change.

In Canada, there is a growing gap between the number of organs donated each year and the number of organs needed for transplant. This gap is forcing health care professionals to re-examine end-of-life care and donation practices. In 2005, a national forum created recommendations for the development and implementation of donation after cardio-circulatory death programs. In this article, the authors outline the multifaceted approach needed for change in interdisciplinary clinical practice. Clinical nurse specialist leadership, ethics consultation, partnerships with key physician colleagues and administrators, as well as comprehensive workshops are described as essential for success. Lessons learned throughout are shared.

Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll: the problems of adolescent cf and asthma.

This article reviews recent literature on risky behaviors in adolescents, suggests ways to assess the extent of the problem and proposes intervention for health care providers.