Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Staff Nurses Regarding the Visual Infusion Phlebitis Scale in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Delhi/NCR
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Abstract
Background & objectives: Intravenous therapy is associated with phlebitis, a preventable complication with incidence rates of 6–48 per cent in Indian hospitals. The Visual Infusion Phlebitis (VIP) Scale, a standardised 0–5 scoring tool endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing, enables early detection and timely intervention. However, its effectiveness depends on nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). This study assessed KAP of staff nurses regarding the VIP Scale in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi/NCR to identify gaps and inform targeted interventions for improved patient safety in intravenous therapy management.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 341 registered staff nurses using simple random sampling. Data were collected with a validated 25-item knowledge questionnaire, 10-item Likert-scale attitude tool and 15-item observational checklist for practices. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation and chi-square tests were used for analysis (SPSS v25.0, p<0.05).
Results: Knowledge was good in 92.7 per cent (mean 19.72 ± 2.68, 78.9%), attitudes positive in 97.4 per cent (mean 26.16 ± 2.47), but practice was suboptimal (mean 7.49 ± 2.07, 49.9%) with only 6.5 per cent achieving good scores. A moderate positive correlation existed between knowledge and practice (r=0.326, p<0.001). No significant associations were found with age, experience, gender or qualification (p>0.05). Item-wise practice analysis revealed consistent weaknesses in documentation (45.7%) despite strengths in routine monitoring (53.7%).
Interpretation & conclusions: High knowledge and positive attitudes contrast sharply with suboptimal practice, indicating a critical theory-practice gap. Systemic factors (workload, training deficiencies) drive poor adherence. Targeted simulation training, protocol enforcement and policy standardisation are urgently required to reduce phlebitis incidence and improve intravenous therapy outcomes in tertiary care settings.
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