Turkish Nurses’ Knowledge About Application, Care, and Complications of Peripheral and Central Venous Catheters and Port Catheters
Background. Peripheral and central arterial/venous or port catheters are used widely in clinical practice. Nursing care and management of catheters is complex, and many controversial practice issues challenge nursing practitioners. Central arterial or venous catheters are associated with a risk of infections that can increase morbidity and mortality and the cost of care.
The aim of the study was to assess the nurses’ knowledge about the application and care of peripheral and central venous and port catheters focusing on prevention of complications that may occur.
Methods. Nurses (n=151) working in the intensive care-nephrology unit, the emergency service, and the oncology clinic in Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Education and Research Hospital and Turgut Ozal University Medicine Faculty Hospital in Turkey were enrolled in the study. The data were collected using a specially developed questionnaire. The 3-part questionnaire consisted of 55 questions.
Results. The response rates obtained were 79.1% and 62.5% for university graduate nurses and college graduate nurses, respectively; there was a significant difference in knowledge between those 2 groups. The knowledge of the nurses about peripheral and central venous catheters significantly differed considering the length of their professional experience and the working place. The information about port catheterization was extraordinarily low, as 91% (n=138) of the nurses failed during the test or had no idea about this procedure.
Conclusion. The knowledge of nurses about the application, care, and complications of central and peripheral catheters and port catheters differs in relation to their education, duration of practical experience, and working site. The lack of knowledge about port catheters was the greatest. In-service training of nurses is required to improve their knowledge and skills on the topic of safe nursing practice.
Correspondence to M. Arslan No: 16/A Anadolu Bulvarı Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkey. E-mail: muzeyyen24@hotmail.com
Received 14 February 2014, accepted 7 July 2014.