Evidenced Ba sed Practice and Research in Nursing Essay

Evidenced Ba sed Practice and Research in Nursing - Essay Example Mermel et al. (2009) recommends peripheral IV’s to be changed after every 72 hours at least to minimize the infection rate (p. 1-45). It has been established that thrombophlebitics and bacterial colonization of catheters are at high risk when catheters are in place for more than 72 hours. Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) is used instead of short peripheral catheter, when IV therapy will take more than six days (Mermel et al., 2009). If a bio-patch is present, seven days can pass before they are changed unless catheter-related infection occurs. The use of a central line insertion bundle reduces the risk of infection (Guerin et al., 2010). The Central line dressing should be changed every five to seven days if it has a bio-patch or as instructed or if the dressing becomes wet, loose or dirty; to minimize the probability of infection. Most patients in the ICU suffer from catheter-related bloodstream infections. These infections result in huge hospital bills, and patients stay longer in hospitals for treatment and some of the patients give in to infections and die. I would take advantage of evidenced based practice and research within my graduate role by demonstrating competency for central line dressing changes. Moreover, I would use this information as a guideline to help the patient get well without incurring extra costs on infection treatment that could be prevented by good handling of catheters. I would ensure this by reviewing the evidence and recommendations for central line maintenance. Being an educated graduate, I would educate all necessary staff on the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. K. (2009). Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of intravascular catheter-related infection: 2009 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical infectious diseases, 49(1),