Abstract: Objective: To examine pediatric nurses' behavior in managing Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC) extubation and identify influencing factors. Methods: A survey was conducted among 230 pediatric nurses from 16 tertiary grade A hospitals in Beijing using convenience sampling. The survey included questions on nurses' knowledge, attitude, and behaviors related to removing PICC. Results: Pediatric nurses achieved mean scores of 14.83±2.76, 126.33±16.97, and 129.14±10.76 for knowledge, attitude, and behavior related to PICC removal, respectively, with the corresponding score rates being 67.4%, 93.6%, and 86.1%, separately. The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the nature of hospital, whether receiving PICC extubation training within 3 years, and the attitude dimension scores were the influencing factors of PICC extubation behavior of those pediatric nurses. Conclusion: Although the pediatric nurses lack knowledge and skills in PICC extubation, they have relatively good behaviors with active attitudes. Therefore, nursing administrators should prioritize training and create a professional platform for comprehensive training for nurses to enhance safe care for children.

Key words: Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter; extubation; behavior; pediatric nurse; influencing factor; evidence-based nursing