Design and assessment of a outpatient living with PICC-line support program: A pilot study

The peripheral insertion central catheter (PICC-Line) is indicated for long term intravenous medication administration. Some adverse events (AE) might occur, especially for patients after hospital discharge. Therefore, patient empowerment about the side effects and precaution for use is essential to prevent potential patient harm. A multidisciplinary working group met and designed support program for outpatient living with PICC-line. Pharmacy consultations (PC) were proposed to patient before and after PICC-line insertion. A strip cartoon and card game were created to facilitate patient education. The aim of the study was to assess the comprehension of patient then secondarily to follow up AE awareness. During 10 months, 30 patients of mean age 65.9 ± 14 years were included. Thirty-six PICC-Line were installed and followed on 1659 days of catheterization. 4, 9 and 13 patients received respectively no, at least one and two PCs before discharge from the hospital. Although the differences were not statistically significant, comprehension tends to improve when patients benefit from both PCs especially when it concerns complications. Twenty-five ambulatory AEs were recorded including 9 infections or suspicion of infection, 2 thrombosis and 2 displacements of PICC-line. Among the patients who had no PC, four experienced delayed care. In comparison, it occurred in only one patient in the group who received at least one PC after PICC-line insertion. Further studies are warranted to confirm this trend.