Would you like an infection with your injection? A study investigating infection control and administering policies regarding radiographer performed intravenous Injections

Abstract

This was a Study to Investigate Infection Control and Administering Policies Regarding Radiographer Performed Intravenous Injections. The hypotheses of the research study were:

radiographers did not follow best practice or departmental infection control guidelines relating to IV cannulation.

radiographers did not follow departmental IV administration guidelines.

Method

Two methods of data collection were used, a literature review and an observational study including a pilot study. The qualitative research method used in order to gather data was a structured observational study of eight radiographers using a pre-prepared checklist based upon best practice guidelines from the Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiotherapy (IIRRT), and the infection control department of the hospital in which the study took place.

Results

Each radiographer was observed several times and given a score accordingly with the results being presented in tabular form.

Conclusion

The research study ascertained that radiographers did not adhere to hospital infection control guidelines when inserting IV cannulae i.e. radiographers did not consistently wash their hands prior to performing IV cannulation.

Radiographers administering IV contrast media injections, did not fully adhere to IV administration guidelines.