Reducing harm of extravasations in IV medicine administration (27 January 2025)

Summary

A multidisciplinary team at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust developed an extravasation care bundle that integrates a red, amber and green extravasation risk rating system for all intravenous medicines, and offers a standardised approach to observing intravenous access sites and tracking infusions to enhance safe care delivery. This initiative has led to reduced incidence and harm from extravasations. Next steps involve collaborating with external experts to develop technological solutions to further improve safety and reduce incidence and harm.

Related reading on the hub:

• National campaign aims to reduce patient harm from infiltration and extravasation
• Infiltration and Extravasation: A toolkit to improve practice