Does Your Patient Have a Cannula? A Questionnaire Study of Clinician Awareness

Dr Gillian Ray-Barruel^1,2,3,4, Prof Nicole Marsh^1,3,4, Dr Tessa Adzemovic⁵, Ms Emily Larsen^1,3,4, Prof Claire Rickard^1,3,4, Ms Anita Pelecanos^4,6, Dr Stephanie Hadikusumo³, Dr Vineet Chopra⁵

¹Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
²QEII Jubilee Hospital, Coopers Plains, Australia
³Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, Australia
⁴University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
⁵Michigan Medicine and VA Ann Arbor Health System, Ann Arbor, USA
⁶QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Australia

Introduction

Up to 25% of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are inserted in patients and never used for treatment. Idle PIVCs are too easily forgotten by clinicians and place patients at unnecessary risk of avoidable harm from complications including Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection. We conducted a study to identify gaps in PIVC awareness (presence/absence, dwell time, body site) among medical and nursing staff and students caring for hospital in-patients.

Methods

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with patients and their direct care medical and nursing teams at two adult hospitals.

Results

Total sample size was 239 staff assessments of 110 PIVCs among 176 patients. The presence or absence of a PIVC was correctly reported by 90% of staff, including 94% of nurses, 100% of nursing students, and 76% of medical staff. Correct side of the body and location of the PIVC were accurately recalled for 74% (n = 96) and 55% (n = 71) of PIVCs, respectively. PIVC insertion date was correctly recalled by 70% of staff (67% of nurses, 83% of medical staff, 100% of nursing students).

Conclusion

This is the first study to focus on PIVC awareness among healthcare providers. A surprising number of staff were unaware of patients’ PIVC dwell time and location, which is a patient safety concern. Healthcare services must recognise the implications of this lack of awareness and implement and evaluate tailored quality improvement efforts to address this.

Biography:

Gillian Ray-Barruel, RN PhD, is an experienced nurse researcher with a joint appointment as Senior Research Fellow with Griffith University and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital in Brisbane. Her internationally respected research focuses on improving assessment and decision-making by bedside clinicians to prevent indwelling device-related patient complications and improve healthcare outcomes.