Clinical acceptability and ease of use of a safety IV catheter system.
OBJECTIVE
Occupational risk of transmission of bloodborne pathogens represents a major challenge in prevention. Even though preventive recommendations to avoid needlestick injuries among healthcare workers include the use of needle protective devices, its use in developing countries is not a standard practice. This study aimed to measure, on experienced nurses, perception of performance characteristics and activation of the safety feature of a safety closed IV catheter system (BD Pegasus*), called catheter P, versus a non-safety device (BD Intima II † ) called catheter I in healthy volunteers.


METHODS
Fifty-two nurses and 205 healthy volunteers participated in a prospective, randomized, controlled study in a simulated setting. Each nurse performed two insertions of each catheter (one in each forearm) in four study volunteers; the order of insertions was randomly assigned. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the performance of the two catheters regarding Overall Perception of Clinical Acceptability and Ease of Use.


RESULTS
Overall acceptance of the device performance characteristics was 90% or more. In all cases, catheter P performed at least as well as catheter I. There were no differences in the insertion success rate between the two devices (93.7% vs. 96.2%). Activation of the safety feature of catheter P occurred 99.4%. Subjects' perception of pain was similar for both devices. Overall perception of clinical acceptability and ease of use were judged better for catheter P than for catheter I (p = 0.006, and p < 0.001 respectively). All clinicians strongly agreed that catheter P would protect them from needle stick injuries.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the study limitations, mainly its artificial setting and its inability to blind, the results indicate that the Safety Closed IV Catheter System with its safety feature represents a good alternative for IV catheter insertions that can help reduce the incidence of stick injuries in health care workers.
Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia. angela.ruiz@urosario.edu.co
Angela
A
Ruiz-Sternberg
Alberto
A
Velez-Van-Meerbeke
Jaime
J
Ruiz-Sternberg
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000523:psychology; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010465:Perception; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult