Over 70% of all hospital admissions have a peripheral intravenous device (PIV) inserted; however, the failure rate of PIVs is unacceptably high, with up to 69% of these devices failing before treatment is complete. Failure can be due to dislodgement, phlebitis, occlusion/infiltration and/or infection. This results in interrupted medical therapy; painful phlebitis and reinsertions; increased hospital length of stay, morbidity and mortality from infections; and wasted medical/nursing time. Appropriate PIV dressing and securement may prevent many cases of PIV failure, but little comparative data exist regarding the efficacy of various PIV dressing and securement methods.
Authors : Claire M Rickard, Nicole Marsh, Joan Webster, E Geoffrey Playford, Matthew R McGrail, Emily Larsen, Samantha Keogh, David McMillan, Jennifer A Whitty, Md Abu Choudhury, Kimble R Dunster, Heather Reynolds, Andrea Marshall, Julia Crilly, Jeanine Young, Ogilvie Thom, John Gowardman, Amanda Corley, John F Fraser
Correspondence to Professor Claire M Rickard; c.rickard@griffith.edu.au
