Strategies for preventing peripheral intravenous cannula infection

Peripheral intravenous (IV) cannulation is a procedure that involves breaching the integrity of the skin, exposing patients to the risk of infection. Acquisition of infection has associated costs both for patients and the NHS. The high number of peripheral IV cannulae (PICs) inserted annually has resulted in serious infection and significant morbidity (O'Grady et al, 2002). Risks associated with PIC infection must be addressed to reduce patient morbidity and increased cost of prolonged hospital admission and treatment. This article discusses the sources and routes of infection associated with peripheral IV cannulation, and examines healthcare management strategies for preventing infection when performing peripheral cannulation. These comprise: the Peripheral Venous Cannulation Policy, which empowers practitioners to challenge poor cannulation skills and standardize practice; education, which provides learning opportunities within programmes such as Infection Control Core Competencies Study Days, designed to promote infection prevention strategies directly related to cannula care and aimed at all levels of Trust staff; and the Peripheral Cannula Care Plan, which ensures accurate documentation of cannulation procedures. This last strategy is simple to use and provides a route for improving cannula-related documentation. A high standard of documentation will also assist audit, which is crucial to reducing PIC infection.