Assessing the impact of a new central venous access device training progam for nurses: A quasi-experimental evaluation study

Background: Central venous access devices (CVAD) are widely used for both long- and short-term purposes within healthcare and are suitable for both hospital and community management. Training is essential in the prevention of complications such as infection. Objectives: To assess the impact of a new standardised education programme on clinical practice and patient care. The new education programme was introduced to all registered nurses working in one care group within an acute healthcare Trust with the aim of improving knowledge and skills and reduce CVAD-related complications. Methods: This retrospective quasi-experimental evaluation study analyses the impact of the programme on direct patient care. Secondary data sources such as infection incidence rates and CVAD clinical audits were used to identify and measure the relationship between staff confidence, infection incidence and care audit results. Data spanning a two-year period were used to capture an accurate representation of the patient group. Results: Improvements in audited care elements and a reduction of infection incidences were evident during and after implementation of the education programme. This was reflective of the self-reported increased confidence and knowledge and skill acquisition from staff who attended the programme. Discussion: Recommendations have been made including a review of the education content to target all key elements and promotion of an end goal with regular feedback to staff reinforcing the importance. The challenge of using secondary data sources also highlighted the need for quality improvements in the current care audit process.