Development of the peripheral venous catheter related phlebitis risk scale

This study was planned as a methodological study with the aim of development of the peripheral venous catheter-related phlebitis risk scale. The research was carried out in Gaziantep University Hospital between February and November 2021. For the validity and reliability analyzes of the scale, 729 patients, who met the sampling criteria, and 208 patients during the implementation of the developed scale were included in the sample. Patient Information Form, Peripheral Venous Catheter-Related Phlebitis Risk Scale, and Phlebitis Evaluation Scale were used to collect the data. SPSS 25.0 and AMOS programs were used for statistical analysis. Content validity, Kuder Richardson 20 internal consistency analysis, item-total correlation analysis, and explanatory and confirmatory factor analyzes were used to calculate the validity and reliability of the scale. The total explained variance value of the scale was % 58,09 and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value was 0,800, whereas the Barlett's sphericity test value was calculated as χ2(91) = 2552,827 p<0.01 and was found to be statistically significant. The content validity index of the scale items was found to be 0,78, whereas the factor loads were 0,543-0,825, the item-total correlations were 0,514 to 0,645, and the Kuder Richardson 20 value, which tested the reliability of the scale, was 0,823. The scale scores consisting of 14 items and 3 sub-dimensions ranged from 14 to 28, with a cut-off point of 20,5. An increase in the score obtained from the scale indicates that the risk of phlebitis due to peripheral venous catheters increases. As a result, it was found that the developed phlebitis risk scale was a valid and reliable scale with high internal consistency, representing the area to be measured and measuring the investigated structure. The results obtained during the implementation of the developed phlebitis scale indicate that the scale correctly identifies the risk factors for phlebitis and can be useful for clinical nurses in order to use it for the identification of patients at risk for phlebitis.