Peripheral venous catheter care in the emergency department: education and feedback lead to marked improvements.

Background Peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) can be associated with serious complications. We evaluated the effect of education and feedback on processes related to PVC placement. Methods We implemented an educational intervention in a 72-bed Emergency Department (ED) over 12 months (4 periods, each a quarter). During preimplementation period, we evaluated PVC placement, condition, accurate documentation, and demonstration of aseptic steps for medication infusion. With implementation, ED nurses had formal education, with direct observations and feedback. For postimplementation periods 1 and 2, we continued direct observations and feedback, reducing the number of audits per week. Results Of 2,568 PVCs evaluated in the ED, accurate documentation on dressing improved from 83 of 803 (10.3%) preimplementation to 300 of 476 (63%) at the end of the study ( P P P Conclusion Education and real-time feedback to ED health care workers are associated with an increased and sustained compliance with processes to reduce the risk of infection from PVCs.