Peripherally inserted central catheters: expanding UK nurses' practice.

Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are a group of single- and double-lumen central venous access devices, ranging in size from 2 to 6 FG. In the USA, these devices have been used to establish central venous access since the late 1970s, but they are only just beginning to be introduced into the UK. In the USA, suitably skilled nurses assume responsibility for the placement of the majority of PICCs, both in the hospital and home-care settings (Coulter, 1993). This article will explain how suitably skilled nurses in the UK could expand their clinical practice to include the placement of PICCs, and thereby improve the quality of intravenous access for many patients requiring parenteral therapies.