Improving the Quality of Intravenous Procedures in a Pediatric High Dependency Unit

A pilot project was done to improve the quality of intravenous cannulation procedures at the pediatric high-dependency unit (PHDU) of a tertiary eye care hospital. In a nurses-led initiative, baseline data was collected, fishbone root cause analysis was done, and a custom checklist was prepared to test improvement. Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycles were done to test change ideas. Simple change ideas such as implementing a well-equipped designated IV trolley, hand hygiene, proper illumination, nursing assistance, reduced movement, and biomedical waste management at the point of care were implemented. The initiative improved the quality of IV procedures from a baseline of 25% to 79%. Healthcare teams used basic QI measures to rapidly improve patient quality of care at no extra cost.