After picc placement...all of my picc nurses assess the tip location on the cxr...a couple will reposition the tip (using the measuring function online ) prior to radiologist report. most of us have looked at cxr's for 10 years  but none have taken a course on reading cxr's so there is no documentation. ..they insist they are keeping x-ray exposure and costs down by doing so...anyone else want to weigh in on this?
cathieÂ
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
I understand that after many of PICC insertions and viewing xrays that we know what we are looking at as far as tip location and that the radiologists would agree with them. But if you don't have a policy to address the competency of the PICC nuses assessing tip location, I think they are functioning beyond their scope of practice, regardless of decreasing xray exposure or costs.
Gwen Irwin
Austin, Texas