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CARE OF A PATIENT'S VASCULAR ACCESS FOR HAEMODIALYSIS: A NARRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW
Author(s) -
Cowan Debi,
Smith Lindsay,
Chow Josephine
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of renal care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.381
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1755-6686
pISSN - 1755-6678
DOI - 10.1111/jorc.12139
Subject(s) - vascular access , narrative , medicine , patient empowerment , empowerment , health care , nursing , thematic analysis , qualitative research , sociology , surgery , hemodialysis , political science , social science , linguistics , philosophy , law
SUMMARY Background Patients requiring haemodialysis have diverse clinical needs impacting on the longevity of their vascular access and their quality of life. A clinical practice scenario is presented that raises the potential of unsafe cannulation of a patient's vascular access as a result of minimal patient empowerment. Vascular access care is the responsibility of everyone, including the patient and carer. Aim The aim of this narrative literature review (1997–2014) is to explore the current understanding of what factors influence the care of vascular access for haemodialysis. Method A narrative literature review allows the synthesis of the known literature pertinent to the research question into a succinct model or unique order to enable new understandings to emerge. The bio‐ecological model was used to guide the thematic analysis of the literature. Results The narrative literature review revealed five themes related to care of vascular access: patient experience; relationships‐empowerment and shared decision making; environment of healthcare; time; and quality of life as the outcome of care. Conclusion The management of vascular access is complicated. Current available literature predominantly concentrates on bio‐medical aspects of vascular access care. Contextualised vascular access care in the complex ecology of the patient and carer's lives has the potential to enhance nursing practice and patient outcomes.