Innovation to improve the experience and outcomes of paediatric central venous access devices: the e-Vascular Access Passport
NHMRC Early Career Fellowship:  Dr Amanda Ullman

Central Venous Access Devices (CVADs) are an essential component of short and long-term care provision for ~50,000 children in Australia annually. Despite their ubiquity and necessity, one in four paediatric CVADs is associated with a severe complication and fails, disrupting treatment. Children with CVADs are managed by multiple medical and health disciplines with a short-term focus, subsequently little attention is given to long term vessel health and preservation.

Yet, many children have chronic health conditions (e.g., renal impairment, cystic fibrosis) and will require vascular access (VA) for a large proportion of their life. At home and in hospital, parents are frequently faced with advocating for and independently problem solving their child's complex VA care. Communication between caregivers and healthcare providers regarding VA performance is absent or uncoordinated. This NHMRC fellowship project (2018-2021) aims to improve outcomes for children relying on CVADs for treatment, by developing a mobile health (mHealth) intervention for use by parents, in partnership with healthcare professionals, bettering the experience and outcomes of paediatric CVADs, while reducing costs for the healthcare system.