Nurses’ clinical reasoning concerning management of peripheral venous cannulae

Aim. The aim was to describe nurses’ clinical reasoning regarding peripheral venous cannulae management by focusing on the clinical information and circumstances considered during the decision‐making process. Background. On every shift nurses make several decisions, among others concerning the management of peripheral venous cannulae. Thrombophlebitis is a common complication associated with its use, although more severe complications can arise. There are clinical practice guidelines within the area, but they are not always adhered to. Previous studies have examined decisions related to the management of peripheral venous cannulae, but did not include observations in a naturalistic setting. Design. A qualitative study combining observations and interviews. Methods. Participant observation facilitated open interviews about the clinical reasoning behind decision‐making in observed situations, as well as semi‐structured interviews regarding clinical reasoning about the general management of peripheral venous cannulae. Transcribed interview texts were analysed with content analysis. Results. Three main categories describe clinical information and circumstances: the individual patient situation, the nurse’s work situation and experience of peripheral venous cannulae management. The overall theme of the interview texts was that the clinical reasoning was a balancing act between minimising patient discomfort and preventing complications from the peripheral venous cannulae. Conclusions. At all times the patients’ well‐being was considered, but the ways the nurses approached this differed depending on how they considered clinical information in the individual patient situation, circumstances in their own work situation and their experience of peripheral venous cannulae management. Relevance to clinical practice. Knowledge of the clinical information and circumstances considered in naturalistic settings, is valuable when implementing and adjusting clinical practice guidelines to local settings. This knowledge is also useful in nursing education as student nurses’ and nurses’ ability to balance between preventing complications and avoiding discomfort is important for enhancing patient care.