Attitudes towards PICC lines among cancer patients

‘Some patients (Pat 2, 4, 9, 17) revealed that they felt uncomfortable when holding their children and while practicing sports. This unease was related not only to the physical presence of the device but also to the need of having to reflect on whether they could practice the activity or if it entailed a risk to the catheter—whether these activities were related to leisure, work, household, or childminding duties’ p 445

‘Three patients (Pat 7, 10, 11) stated that the aesthetic aspects of using the catheter were a disadvantage, as this entailed the use of a dressing and bandage covering the distal third of the forearm and the proximal third of the arm. Some female patients (Pat 6, 7, 16, 17) describe using other types of clothing or changing their dressing habits to conceal the catheter out of shame. One patient recounted how she sometimes did not feel very feminine or pretty with the catheter (Pat 16).’ p 446