This study addressed an increasing number of peripheral intravenous catheter infiltrations within hospitals, leading to problems such as phlebitis and cellulitis, which may result in a longer length of hospital stay. The purpose of this project was to determine how to reduce infiltrations in order to increase the longevity of the catheter. A quantitative, description design was used, guided by Abdellah's classification framework for identifying nursing problems. The target population was 50 patients experiencing incidents of peripheral intravenous catheter infiltration, identified in a patient safety event log used across a 252-bed hospital. Each incident was assessed for several risk factors, such as age, diagnosis, length of time of catheter use, co-morbidities, size of catheter used for insertion, and how many medications were being administrated intravenously. Using descriptive statistics, the combination of patient co-morbidities had a direct correlation with increased probability of infiltration before 96 hours. Among 82% of patients, co-morbidities included hypertension in 56% of subjects, advancing age, and placement of the catheter in the upper arm. Data play a significant role in decisions to change clinical practice and protocols. Findings from this study related to peripheral intravenous catheter insertions, and their maintenance can drive changes across a healthcare organization.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:waldenu.edu/oai:scholarworks.waldenu.edu:dissertations-2614 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| Creators | Banks, Janise Marrisette |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | Walden University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies |
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