Vascular Access Best Practice: Let’s Get This Show on the Road

Session Description: The prevention of vascular access device-associated infections is an area of focus for most infection control departments. Bedside nurses play a pivotal role in the care and maintenance of these devices, and are key allies in preventing hospital-acquired infections. Nurse staffing and turnover can present challenges in keeping nurses up to date on best practices and maintenance bundles. During the Covid-19 pandemic, most hands-on learning activities were replaced with online modules. In addition, high census and patient acuity can make it difficult for bedside nurses to attend in services and lengthy training sessions.
Vascular Access Device Subject Matter Expert (VAD SME) Rounds were developed to bring hands-on, interactive vascular access device education and support to bedside nurses in their workspace. The Vascular Access Device Subject Matter Expert team includes a wide range of expertise. The group is comprised of members of the vascular access team, a nurse practitioner trained in operating room placement of peripherally inserted central catheters, infection preventionists, and unit-based infection control nurses. Rounds take place monthly on an inpatient unit and are coordinated in advance with unit representatives to facilitate staff nurse availability and engagement.
Each rounding session begins with an open-ended question intended to encourage staff nurses to share questions, concerns, and challenges. Discussion points include line care maintenance, dressing and line securement, assessment of vascular access devices, and resources available to bedside nurses. A combination of teaching modalities are employed, including demonstration, hands-on practice, and visual aids. Following the session, the subject matter experts follow up on questions and issues that could be improved at the unit or system-level. Feedback on this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive, and going to the point of care has been a key element in its success.