The Safety and Efficacy of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters in Ill Neonates

Abstract

This article describes the use of a quality improvement clinical audit approach to identify insertion practices, duration of therapy, and complications related to peripheral intravenous catheters. These data provide evidence for adherence to practice standards and benchmarks for evaluation of new interventions to improve the safety and efficacy of intravenous access practices. Implications for quality improvement and clinical research related to intravenousdevice practices within the neonatal intensive care unit are discussed.