The effect of applying warm wet in phlebitis care associated with peripheric intravenous catheter

This randomized controlled experimental study with pretest-posttest was conducted to determine the effect of warm wet application in patients with peripheral intravenous catheter-related phlebitis. The study included 70 patients who were hospitalized in the palliative care unit of Ordu Training and Research Hospital and developed phlebitis. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, 35 patients in the control group and 35 in the experimental group. Ethics committee approval and institutional permission were taken and informed consent was obtained from the patients prior to the study. Data were collected using a patient information form and a phlebitis follow-up form. The phlebitis area of the patients in the control and experimental groups was monitored for three days. As a routine practice, the extremity elevation was applied to the patients in the control group. In addition to the elevation, the patients in the experimental group received a warm application at 28 ºC for 15 minutes, three times a day for three days. The data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, median, first and third quartile values, Pearson Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, McNemar, Friedman, Fisher's exact test, and Spearman correlation analysis. Of the patients included in the study, 64.3% were female and the mean age was 78.23±13.60. There was a decrease between the first and last phlebitis levels in the control and experimental groups, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.957, p=0.078). There was a statistically significant decrease in redness, edema width, and pain intensity in the final examination of the phlebitis area in the control and experimental groups (p˂0.001, p=0.006, p˂0.001). In conclusion, applying warm wet compresses at 28 ºC three times a day for 15 minutes reduces the symptoms of phlebitis; therefore, it is suggested that it can be used as a simple, cost-effective, non-invasive, and effective nursing practice.