A multimodal approach to reduce the incidence of peripheral venous cannula bacteraemias and improve patient safety.

BACKGROUND

Incidence of peripheral venous cannula (PVC) bacteraemia have been rising in a trust in the south-west of England, with a 267% increase noted over the 2022/23 financial year compared with the previous year.

AIM: To use a multimodal approach to reduce the incidence of PVC bacteraemia and improve patient safety.

METHODS

The initiative consisted of an educational poster highlighting the severity of infection associated with PVCs alongside key prevention messages rooted in Trust policy. Teaching sessions, complementing the poster, were delivered by the infection prevention and control team to each clinical area.

FINDINGS: The data showed that the provision of further educational resources and wider support resulted in a 54.5% decrease in the incidence of PVC bacteraemia in 2023/24 compared with the previous year. An audit undertaken in the fourth quarter of 2023/24 (January-March) found zero cases of PVC bacteraemia for the first time in 2 years.

CONCLUSION

Dedication and collaborative working are vital for securing the success of quality improvement projects. PVC-related bacteraemias and the severity of infection remain an under-acknowledged and under-recognised topic within health care, with further research required.