Patient Care Technicians Managing Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter Care: Pro and Con

Paul N Bennett; Gail Dewald

Patient Care Technicians Managing Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter Care: Pro and Con

Nephrol Nurs J. 2017 Sep-Oct;44(5):449-454.

Authors

Paul N Bennett^{1

2}, Gail Dewald^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Assistant Professor and Director, the Clinical Nurse Leader Program, College of Nursing, Augusta University, Augusta, GA.
² Honorary Professor, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Independent Nephrology Nurse and Managing Partner, Dewald and Associates, San Antonio, TX.
⁴ Member of ANNA's Alamo City Chapter.

PMID: 29160979

Abstract

In the United States, the responsibilities and scope of practice of nephrology nurses and patient care technicians working in hemodialysis units vary from state to state. This occurs in relation to the care and management of central venous catheters (CVCs) used for hemodialysis. The aim of this article is to review the pros and cons of non-nursing staff performing the management and care of CVCs. The pros include decreasing nursing task time, allowing nurses to devote their time to other higher functioning roles, while the cons include lack of technician skill, education, and experience to perform CVC management and care.

Keywords: Central venous catheters; hemodialysis; nephrology nurses; patient care; patient care technicians; patient safety.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Catheterization, Central Venous*
Central Venous Catheters
Humans
Patient Care / methods*
Renal Dialysis*