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Infusion phlebitis assessment measures: a systematic review
Author(s) -
RayBarruel Gillian,
Polit Denise F.,
Murfield Jenny E.,
Rickard Claire M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of evaluation in clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.737
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1365-2753
pISSN - 1356-1294
DOI - 10.1111/jep.12107
Subject(s) - medicine , cinahl , medline , incidence (geometry) , prospective cohort study , randomized controlled trial , cohort study , systematic review , physical therapy , intensive care medicine , emergency medicine , surgery , psychological intervention , nursing , political science , law , physics , optics
Abstract Rationale, aims and objectives Phlebitis is a common and painful complication of peripheral intravenous cannulation. The aim of this review was to identify the measures used in infusion phlebitis assessment and evaluate evidence regarding their reliability, validity, responsiveness and feasibility. Method We conducted a systematic literature review of the C ochrane library, O vid MEDLINE and EBSCO CINAHL until S eptember 2013. All E nglish‐language studies (randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort and cross‐sectional) that used an infusion phlebitis scale were retrieved and analysed to determine which symptoms were included in each scale and how these were measured. We evaluated studies that reported testing the psychometric properties of phlebitis assessment scales using the COnsensus‐based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments ( COSMIN ) guidelines. Results Infusion phlebitis was the primary outcome measure in 233 studies. Fifty‐three (23%) of these provided no actual definition of phlebitis. Of the 180 studies that reported measuring phlebitis incidence and/or severity, 101 (56%) used a scale and 79 (44%) used a definition alone. We identified 71 different phlebitis assessment scales. Three scales had undergone some psychometric analyses, but no scale had been rigorously tested. Conclusion Many phlebitis scales exist, but none has been thoroughly validated for use in clinical practice. A lack of consensus on phlebitis measures has likely contributed to disparities in reported phlebitis incidence, precluding meaningful comparison of phlebitis rates.