Unlocking PIVC Secrets: Revealing key insights from 1500 emergency department audits

Background: Peripheral Intravenous Catheter (PIVC) stands out as the most frequently used invasive device within emergency departments (EDs). Notably, ED clinicians are responsible for inserting one out of every two PIVCs used in hospitals.

Aim: To comprehensively investigate the entire spectrum of PIVC care in the ED setting.

Method: A prevalence point audit of PIVC care was conducted across three EDs in Australia in 2022-2023. Research nurses performed bedside audits using a standard audit form. Documentation in the iEMR, a digital medical record system, was also audited.