References
Evaluation of a safety-engineered peripherally inserted intravenous catheter with multiple access blood control: clinician acceptability and ease of use
Abstract
Aim:
Acceptability of a new safety-engineered peripherally inserted intravenous catheter (PIVC) with multiple access blood control (MBC) was evaluated in this observational study by experienced volunteer clinicians on healthy volunteers.
Methods:
Clinicians and healthy volunteers were recruited for this study. Observers documented study procedures, including if there was any blood leakage from the catheter hub at various times during hub connections and disconnections and how many attempts it took a clinician to get a successful stick. Clinicians responded to yes-or-no and Likert-scale questionnaires describing their experiences with PIVC with MBC after each procedure. Questionnaire data were summarized by frequency and percent of responses; analyses were conducted using binomial statistics.
Results:
Overall, clinicians considered PIVC with MBC to be acceptable (93.6% agreement). Clinicians were able to easily remove the catheter protective cap, insert the catheter, visualize primary and secondary flashbacks, easily remove the needle from the catheter hub and determine if the safety clip was activated after withdrawing the needle. In addition, they were able to connect or disconnect and flush extension sets. Clinicians did not have to change their insertion technique, found the catheter easy to insert, and believed the catheter would protect them from blood exposure during insertion of the catheter and subsequent hub accesses (agreement ranged from 82.3% to 98.9%).
Conclusions:
No blood leakage was observed from the catheter hub at any time during the procedures. Overall, clinicians found the new PIVC with MBC to be acceptable, easy to use, and functioned properly.
HIGHLIGHTS
Acceptability, usability, and ease of use of a new safety-engineered PIVC with MBC was evaluated.
PIVC with MBC was >93% acceptable: prevented blood exposure after multiple insertions/removals.
Most clinicians (96%) achieved first stick success when using their product.
PIVC with MBC was easy to use, worked properly and allowed clinicians to keep their PIVC technique.
It is well established that peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) insertion is one of the most common and essential interventions in the health care system.1–3 While intravenous (IV) catheters are considered non-significant risk devices and IV catheter insertion has immediate benefits to the patient,4 health care workers (HCWs) are vulnerable to blood exposure and needlestick injuries (NSIs) as a result of these procedures.3
The risk of NSI from IV catheters has been studied extensively; less attention has been paid on characterizing and reducing the overall blood exposure sustained by HCWs during PIVC insertion or removal.5When blood exposure occurs on non-intact skin or mucous membranes, bloodborne pathogen transmission may occur. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that IV insertion was the second highest source of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) exposure for HCWs, even though IV catheter needles account for a small fraction of sharps used in health care settings. In a 2012 survey conducted among 350 HCWs, respondents reported mucous membrane or skin contact with blood during insertion (46%) and removal (42%) of a PIVC.5
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