Health-related quality of life and experience measures, to assess patients’ experiences of peripheral intravenous catheters: a secondary data analysis

Background: Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are essential for successful administration of intravenous treatments. However, insertion failure and PIVC complications are common and negatively impact patients’ health-outcomes and experiences. We aimed to assess whether generic (established) quality of life and experience measures were suitable for use among patients with PIVCs. Methods: : A secondary analysis of data collected on three existing instruments within a large randomised controlled trial, conducted at two adult tertiary hospitals in Queensland, Australia. Instruments included the EuroQual Five Dimension - Five Level (EQ5D-5L), the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Treatment Satisfaction – General measure (FACIT-TS-G, eight items), and the Australian Hospital Patient Experience Question Set (AHPEQS, 12 items). Responses were compared against two clinical PIVC outcomes of interest: all-cause failure and multiple insertion attempts. Classic descriptives were reported for ceiling and floor effects. Regression analyses examined validity (discrimination). Standardised response mean, and effect size (ES) assessed responsiveness (EQ5D-5L, only). Results: : In total, 685 participants completed the EQ5D-5L at insertion and 526 at removal. The FACIT-TS-G was completed by 264 and the AHPEQS by 262 participants. Two FACIT-TS-G items and one AHPEQS item demonstrated ceiling effect. Instruments overall demonstrated poor discrimination, however, all-cause PIVC failure was statistically significantly associated with several individual items in the instruments (e.g., AHPEQS, ‘ unexpected physical and emotional harm’ ). EQ5D-5L demonstrated trivial (ES <.20) responsiveness. Conclusions: : The health-related quality of life- and experience-measures studied proved unsuitable for use among patients with PIVCs. PIVC-specific instruments are urgently needed to inform quality improvement and benchmark standards of care.