The finding that 57 percent of hospitalists report having forgotten about the presence of a patient's peripherally inserted central catheter is one of several that outline the variation in hospitalist experiences with catheters in a paper published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Researchers surveyed approximately 400 hospitalists with an online questionnaire on hospitalist experience and practice surrounding PICCs.
Other study findings include:
• Eighty-six percent of hospitalists had placed a PICC solely for venous access.
• Eighty-two percent of hospitalists had cared for a patient who specifically requested a PICC.
• Twenty-five percent of hospitalists had examined a PICC for external problems.
• Forty-two percent of hospitalists thought between 10 percent and 25 percent of PICCs in their hospitals might be inappropriately placed or avoidable.
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