Difficult Access Requires Thought, Training and Technology (DART3): Co-developing an ultrasound pathway for patients with difficult intravenous access
Funding source:
NHMRC partnership project grant 2019 (Award ID:1180193)
An implementation study to enhance peripheral intravenous catheter insertion success and reduce insertion-related complications.
Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are the most common invasive medical device in hospitals. PIVC placement can be difficult, painful and time-consuming; across inpatient groups, with those at highest risk are patients with Difficult IntraVenous Access (DIVA).
DART3 was a multi-phase study involving:
- Evaluating health service funding and budgeting arrangements for PIVC insertion
- Co-developing DIVA identification and escalation pathways and implementation strategies (including ongoing education of ultrasound inserters) with the partner hospitals; and
- Testing the effectiveness of the co-developed pathways and strategies on clinical, cost and implementation outcomes at a health services level with a randomised controlled trial
Project members
UQ investigators
- Dr Lisa Hall
External investigators
- Dr Nicole Marsh
- Ms Tricia Kleidon
- Prof Gerben Keijzers
- Ms Amanda Corley
- Dr Rebecca Paterson
- Mr Eugene Slaughter
- Assoc Prof Joshua Byrnes
- Mr Masnoon Saiyed
- Prof Robert Ware
- Ms Emily Monteagle
- Dr Louise Cullen
Partner organisationsÂ
- Metro North Health
- Queensland Children’s Hospital
- Gold Coast Health
- Griffith University
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
- Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research
Partner investigators
- Dr Catriona Booker
- Dr Pauline Calleja
- Dr Audra Gedmintas
- Dr Stephanie Hadikusumo
- Dr Krispin Hajkowicz
- Dr Fiona Macfarlane
- Associate Professor Steven McTaggart
- Dr Alison Craswe
- Dr Nathan Peters
- Dr Stuart Watkins
- Dr Frances Williamson
- Mr Andy Carter
- Dr Jeremy Wellwood
- Ms Alice Bhasale
- Mr Callan Battley
- Dr Clinton Gibbs