Nurses’ Satisfaction of Connectors Used in Intravenous Therapy

Abstract

Aim: The intravenous connectors are the gatekeeper of the intraluminal fluid pathway and frequently used by nurses in clinical areas. This study aimed to determine nurses' satisfaction of connectors used in intravenous therapy administration. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between January and May 2016 in a training and research hospital in Istanbul. The sample of the study comprised 80 nurses/midwives working in the general surgery unit, reanimation intensive care unit, and outpatient chemotherapy unit. The data were collected by the Personal Information Form and Satisfaction Scale. Descriptive statistics,Spearman's rank correlation, independent sample t test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Results: Of the participants, 65% stated they had not received any training in their institutions regarding connector usage, and 61.3% reported receiving no training about catheter-related infections. The participants' satisfaction score for the use of the connector (according to a 0-10 degree visual analog scale) was 6.45±3.12. It was determined that there was a significant relationship between the connector satisfaction scores and the easy use of the connectors (p <0.01). Conclusion: Control of catheter-related infections is a priority worldwide. Nurse training in the use of connectors and connector satisfaction can contribute to the prevention of infections by improving usage adherence.