Research Outline

Approximately 80% of hospitalized patients, undergo peripheral venipuncture (blood sampling and peripheral intravenous catheterization). However, the failure rate of peripheral venipuncture is higher in older adults (40%) than in younger adults (12–30%). The consequences of venipuncture failure, including increased complication risks and treatment delays. Safe peripheral venipuncture requires the veins to be fully dilated to improve palpation.

My research question is “What methods promote venous dilation in older patients?”. I have been examining the effectiveness of techniques practiced by clinical nurses with experimental studies on human participants. Our researches have shown that heat application using hot packs or hot towels wrapped in plastic bags can be recommended even for older patients.

I am currently looking at best practices in venous dilation techniques to further increase the success rate of peripheral venipuncture in older patients.