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From little things, big things grow : An exploratory analysis of the national cost of peripheral intravenous catheter insertion in Australian adult emergency care
Morgan, Rachel Callander, Emily Cullen, Louise Walker, Katie Bumpstead, Suzanne Hawkins, Tracey Kuhn, Lisa Egerton-Warburton, Diana
Morgan, Rachel
Callander, Emily
Cullen, Louise
Walker, Katie
Bumpstead, Suzanne
Hawkins, Tracey
Kuhn, Lisa
Egerton-Warburton, Diana
Abstract
Objective
To estimate the total economic impact of peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) or cannula insertion and use in adult Australian EDs, including those cannulas that remain unused for therapeutic purposes.
Methods
Searches on Australian government websites were conducted to find rates of insertion, complications and cost of cannula; following this, gaps in national data sets were filled with MEDLINE and PubMed searches to estimate the total cost of cannula use in Australian EDs. Once the data were collected, totals were combined to establish an estimated cost for the listed categories.
Results
The estimated cost of cannulation in Australia may be up to A$594 million per year, including the cost of insertion (equipment and staff), cost of complications such as Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia and phlebitis, and patient-centred costs (lost patient productivity, infiltration, occlusion and dislodgement). Approximately A$305.9 million is attributed to unused cannulas and approximately 11 790 days of clinician time is spent annually inserting cannula that remains idle.
Conclusion
The figures developed in the present study represent an important educational opportunity to encourage thoughtful consideration of all interventions, no matter how small. ED cannula insertion represents a large economic and health cost to Australia's health system, many of which remain unused. There are no national data sets that record complications associated with PIVCs and we highlight the urgent need for improved data.
Keywords
Australia, emergency treatment, healthcare costs, medicine, peripheral venous catheterisation, staphylococcal infections
Date
2022
Type
Journal article
Journal
Emergency Medicine Australasia
Book
Volume
34
Issue
6
Page Range
877-883
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open