Goal
The goal of the Management of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters Clinical Care Standard is to promote the judicious use of PIVCs and to reduce complications by highlighting the importance of maintaining and preserving a patient’s vessel health.
Scope
This clinical care standard relates to the care that patients of all ages, in all healthcare settings should receive to reduce complications associated with the insertion, maintenance and removal of PIVCs.
Pathway of care
This clinical care standard covers the period from when a patient is identified as requiring therapy to be administered by the peripheral IV route, to completing the therapy and removing the PIVC.
Healthcare settings
The standard applies to all healthcare settings where PIVCs may be inserted or managed, such as:
- All hospital settings, including public and private hospitals, subacute facilities, and outpatient and day procedure services
- Emergency services, such as ambulance services
- General practice and other community settings where peripheral intravenous catheters may be used, including outreach services such as Hospital in the Home settings.
What is not covered
This clinical care standard does not cover the use of midline catheters, peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) or central venous catheters.