Abstract
This study aimed to clarify whether the use of a peripheral intravenous catheter with a backflow prevention valve reduces the operator’s fear level or catheterization difficulty and contributes to venipuncture success. We performed an interventional study at an urban university hospital. The participants were nurses who completed a questionnaire that included questions about the number of puncture attempts, their subjective experience of venipuncture, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The control group comprised 26 nurses who performed patient catheterizations with a conventional catheter (307 catheterizations), while the intervention group comprised 25 nurses who performed catheterizations with a peripheral intravenous catheter with a backflow prevention valve (292 catheterizations). The intervention group felt less fear and discomfort associated with venipuncture than the control group. There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in the STAI and the number of puncture attempts. Several evaluations of catheter manipulation were worse in the intervention group than in the control group. However, the subjective experiences of fear of blood exposure and fear of contaminating the catheter junction were reduced in the intervention group. Our findings suggest that using the catheter with a backflow prevention valve reduced the participants’ level of fear and discomfort, and that the effectiveness of such catheterization may help prevent infection, although catheter manipulation requires improvement.
