Improving catheter and central line care

Central lines, endotracheal tubes and peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) lines are all examples of catheters. These are tubes that are placed into a large vein, usually in the neck, chest, or groin, to provide drugs or fluids to people who are unwell. Catheter infections affect hundreds of thousands of people in the UK each year, often leading to serious illness and longer hospital stays.

The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Emergency and Acute Care at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, who work with companies, patients and staff to turn ideas into better care, approached Research for the Future for their help finding up to ten people who had experienced having a catheter during a hospital intensive care or high dependency stay, or who lived with a long-term catheter, to attend a face to face workshop to share their  opinions on a newly developed device designed to disinfect the catheter insertion site.

Research for the Future were able to identify over 500 people living in the local area to approach and also promoted the opportunity on our website and social media.

Daniel Taylor, Public and Patient Engagement and Involvement Manager, Vocal & NIHR HRC in Emergency and Acute Care said,

“Research for the Future made it easy to promote our patient and public involvement activities. They talked us through how to promote this to relevant people on their database and their thoughtful questions helped ensure people fully understood the opportunity we were offering.”