Test antiseptic caps on the connectors of PICCs and tunnelled lines in people having cancer treatment at home

The evidence. The SHEA/IDSA/APIC compendium (2022) lists antiseptic-containing caps as an additional practice despite high-level evidence, because they are not considered superior to manual disinfection, and lists as unresolved whether the connector still needs scrubbing when a cap is used. NICE (HealthTech guidance 510, 2019) found the Curos cap promising but the evidence insufficient for routine NHS adoption, and recommended research that explores "the use of Curos in people at high risk of infection, including those whose condition is managed in the community".

The gap. People having cancer treatment through a PICC or tunnelled line at home are at high risk of line infection, and their lines are accessed by different nurses in different places; no trial read was done in that group.