Burn patients' experience of peripherally inserted central catheter insertion: Analysis of focus group interviews...

Although the use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) has increased in burn patient treatment, little is known about the subjective experiences of these patients with PICCs. These experiences may be similar to those of other patients, particularly cancer patients receiving long term care but it is not clear if this is the case. Burn patients' exposure to skin injury may result in pain and apprehension similar but different from that felt by cancer patients. The aim of this study was to explore the subjective experiences of PICC insertion procedures among burn patients treated and managed in a burn center in South Korea.

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus group interviews. Twenty-two participants who experienced of PICC insertion procedures participated in audio-taped focus groups sessions. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify categories of discussion depicting participants' subjective experience with PICC procedures.

Three categories of PICC subjective experience were identified: (a) distress: painful burn treatments and repeated venipunctures, (b) PICC insertion: short and endurable, and (c) use of PICC: lots of pros and a few cons.

The major findings from our focus group interviews were that frequent venipunctures are a significant sources of distress for burn patients. However, most participants reported that PICC provided a very convenient route for venous infiltration and for that they were generally positive about the procedure. This knowledge may enable clinicians to better the needs of their patients when undergoing PICC insertion and management.