Healthcare Hygiene magazine October 2021 October 2021 | Page 48

UGPIV Follow-Up Survey
Q1 Are you a practicing clinician performing UGPIV insertions on patients ?
Answered : 1,629 Skipped : 1
Yes
No
0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %
ANSWER CHOICES Yes No
RESPONSES 84.96 % 1,384
15.04 % 245 TOTAL 1,629
Considering that UGPIV insertion is a highly technical procedure dictating an increased level of skill , the lack of training and variable competency assessment reflects a potential for higher risk to patients that can result in an increased number of attempts and complications .
• to being released to perform independently .” Still another respondent noted , “ Although I was trained to do ultrasound PIVCs , I don ’ t get the opportunity nor developed the skill to be confident with my practice .” Another said , “ I only learned this technique from an AVA class several years ago from a nurse who said it was a ‘ bridge procedure .’ No other coworkers were technically trained . I only knew what I know from this class .”
Many of these comments reflected minimal education and training with improvements happening over time .
Even after initial education and training there should be ongoing competency assessments to evaluate the skill of the inserter , as well as surveillance of compliance within the institution ’ s policies . In the survey nearly 58 percent of respondents indicated hands-on simulation training with 66 percent including supervised insertions . Forty-five percent of respondents stated that training competency included measurement of the level of UGPIV insertion success . Lennon , et al . ( 2021 ) reported that complications associated with intravenous device insertions relate to the skill and knowledge of the clinician for insertion , but that the skills for these procedures and the knowledge acquired should be measured . Key components of such ongoing assessment and measurement require monitoring of outcomes through data collection .
Considering that UGPIV insertion is a highly technical procedure dictating an increased level of skill , the lack of training and variable competency assessment reflects a potential for higher risk to patients that can result in an increased number of attempts and complications . UGPIV programs that monitor the number of insertion attempts , PIVC failure rates , and infections make it easier to quickly identify issues that need to be addressed , with additional training for an individual clinician or as team-wide / hospital-side areas for improvement .
Policies
Establishing policies for UGPIV provides the foundation and guidance for these UGPIV procedures while striving to create appropriate steps and safety measures to standardize the procedure . Overall , 60 percent of respondents reported their facilities / practice settings did have policies on UGPIV insertions . In addition , nearly one half of respondents said their facility policy required some form of education and training . While 43 percent said their policy required a successful level of competency , nearly one-quarter of the responding clinicians said there was no policy needed , though no further explanation was provided for this choice .
Within the comments section of the survey , respondents stated : “ Although we have documentation and procedural requirements , there are still people who attempt it because they don ’ t find the practice standards important . After training , staff is managed by their dept manager , and quality and data collection
48 october 2021 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com