Reducing peripheral intravenous catheter-related phlebitis: a multi-centre multi-component toolkit implementation study.
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Infection Control, Slingeland Hospital, Doetinchem, The Netherlands.
- 2Unit of Infection Prevention and Control, Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- 3Department of Infection Control, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, The Netherlands.
- 4Department of Infection Control, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
- 5Department of Infection Control, Maasziekenhuis Pantein, Beugen, The Netherlands.
- 6GAIN, Gelders Antimicrobiële resistentie en Infectiepreventie Netwerk, The Netherlands.
Abstract
Phlebitis is a frequent complication of peripheral intravenous catheters, leading to patient discomfort, inflammation, antibiotic use, and prolonged hospitalization. A multi-component Phlebitis Prevention Toolkit was developed to support healthcare workers in reducing phlebitis incidence. The Toolkit - comprising an infographic, digital newsletter, nurse training, and a standardized protocol - was implemented in four Dutch hospitals (2024-2025). Each hospital prospectively collected data on catheter characteristics, insertion site observations, and phlebitis occurrence during a 2-month pre-implementation period and a 2.5-month postimplementation period. The primary outcome was the change in phlebitis incidence. Phlebitis incidence decreased from 7.3% (84/1144) to 4.9% (48/976) (P = 0.02). A significant reduction was observed in one site, while site-level changes varied across hospitals. Phlebitis was more frequent when insertion sites were not visible (10.4% vs. 5.4%; relative risk [RR]: 1.92; P < 0.001) and when dressings were soiled, wet, or loose (20.4% vs. 3.2%; RR: 6.45; P < 0.001). Longer catheter dwell time was associated with progressively higher phlebitis incidence. Implementation of a simple, multi-component toolkit was associated with a reduction in phlebitis incidence and highlights the importance of insertion site visibility, dressing integrity, and timely catheter removal for safer peripheral intravenous care.
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BibTeX
@article{hallersjentink2026reducing,
title = {{Reducing peripheral intravenous catheter-related phlebitis: a multi-centre multi-component toolkit implementation study.}},
author = {Fleur Hallers-Jentink and Manon Tingen-Wieland and Caeleste Welling and Ellen Otter-Reefman and Frans Loeffen and Alma Tostmann and Guido J H Bastiaens},
journal = {Infection prevention in practice},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.infpip.2026.100607},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999775},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Reducing peripheral intravenous catheter-related phlebitis: a multi-centre multi-component toolkit implementation study.
AU - Fleur Hallers-Jentink
AU - Manon Tingen-Wieland
AU - Caeleste Welling
AU - Ellen Otter-Reefman
AU - Frans Loeffen
AU - Alma Tostmann
AU - Guido J H Bastiaens
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Infection prevention in practice
DO - 10.1016/j.infpip.2026.100607
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999775
AB - Phlebitis is a frequent complication of peripheral intravenous catheters, leading to patient discomfort, inflammation, antibiotic use, and prolonged hospitalization. A multi-component Phlebitis Prevention Toolkit was developed to support healthcare workers in reducing phlebitis incidence. The Toolkit - comprising an infographic, digital newsletter, nurse training, and a standardized protocol - was implemented in four Dutch hospitals (2024-2025). Each hospital prospectively collected data on catheter characteristics, insertion site observations, and phlebitis occurrence during a 2-month pre-implementation period and a 2.5-month postimplementation period. The primary outcome was the change in phlebitis incidence. Phlebitis incidence decreased from 7.3% (84/1144) to 4.9% (48/976) (P = 0.02). A significant reduction was observed in one site, while site-level changes varied across hospitals. Phlebitis was more frequent when insertion sites were not visible (10.4% vs. 5.4%; relative risk [RR]: 1.92; P < 0.001) and when dressings were soiled, wet, or loose (20.4% vs. 3.2%; RR: 6.45; P < 0.001). Longer catheter dwell time was associated with progressively higher phlebitis incidence. Implementation of a simple, multi-component toolkit was associated with a reduction in phlebitis incidence and highlights the importance of insertion site visibility, dressing integrity, and timely catheter removal for safer peripheral intravenous care.
SN - 2590-0889
ER -