PIVCs in Hospitalised Older People: What We Know

Study Overview
This scoping review mapped the evidence on peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) use among hospitalised older adults (publications since 2000). Thirty sources from 12 countries were included across observational and experimental studies, education summaries, clinical guidelines, reviews, and other materials. The review highlights where evidence is strong, where it’s thin, and where future work should focus—especially on patient experience.

Key Findings

• Evidence skews observational: Most studies were small, single-site observational designs; only a few experimental studies were found.
• What researchers study: Common topics were insertion practices, PIVC-related complications, clinician behaviours, physiological changes with ageing, and patient experiences.
• Experience measures are narrow: Pain and satisfaction were the only consistently reported experience outcomes; broader patient-reported measures were largely absent.
• “Older people” isn’t consistently defined: Age thresholds varied across studies, making comparisons difficult.
• Qualitative gap: No qualitative research specific to older adults’ lived experiences with PIVCs was identified.
• Complications matter: Older physiology and comorbidities may influence risks (e.g., insertion difficulty, failure, phlebitis), but robust causal evidence is limited.

Implications

• Build stronger trials: Prioritise well-designed experimental studies to test insertion techniques, securement, and maintenance bundles tailored to older adults.
• Centre the patient: Expand outcomes beyond pain/satisfaction to include comfort, function, treatment burden, and quality of life; add qualitative studies to capture lived experience.
• Standardise definitions: Use consistent age criteria and outcome definitions to enable pooling and benchmarking.
• Translate to practice: Combine clinical pathways with staff training and audit-feedback focused on geriatric needs (skin integrity, vascular fragility, cognition, delirium risk).
• Report what matters: Include failure rates, dwell time, unplanned removals, escalation to central access, and patient-reported outcomes relevant to older adults.

Read more:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/opn.70049 

Authors: Naomi Howell; Nicole Marsh; Matt Mason; Alison Craswell