Is the Use of Pre-existing Peripheral Intravenous Cannula as an Alternative to Venipuncture for Blood Sampling Being Implemented?

BACKGROUND: Blood tests are usually obtained by venipuncture which is an insertion of a needle into a vein. Since blood collection is frequently ordered, it contributes to the increased workload on healthcare professionals. Thus, utilization of previously inserted peripheral intravenous lines for blood collection is proposed to decrease the work burden. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to make assessment of the awareness and practice of emergency medicine and intensive care unit staff regarding blood sampling via pre-existing peripheral line. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study used a web-based and self-administered questionnaire. It distributed among emergency department and intensive care unit staff between November 2021 and February 2022. RESULTS: A total of 95 healthcare providers participated in the study. Most respondents were nurses (n=49, 51.5%) with 58.5% assigned to the intensive care unit. The overall mean awareness score was 1.74 out of 4 points with standard deviation of 1.29. Poor awareness was found among (n=65, 68.4%) and the remaining (n=30, 31.6%) had good awareness. Positive significant association has been observed between the level of awareness and practice (p=0.015). no significant difference was found between the emergency department and intensive care unit staff in terms of awareness level and practice. CONCLUSION: Findings from the current study showed variation in participants’ views, hence, nurses and other health care providers are left to use their personal preferences in deciding patient care. This highlights the need for establishing institutional policies regarding blood sampling via a pre-existing peripheral intravenous line.