Deterioration in hygiene behavior among fifth-year medical students during the placement of intravenous catheters: a prospective cohort comparison of practical skills

TY - JOUR

T1 - Deterioration in hygiene behavior among fifth-year medical students during the placement of intravenous catheters: a prospective cohort comparison of practical skills

AU - Meyer, Annika

AU - Schreiber, Jakob

AU - Brinkmann, Julian

AU - Klatt, Andreas R

AU - Stosch, Christoph

AU - Streichert, Thomas

N1 - © 2021. The Author(s).

PY - 2021/8/17

Y1 - 2021/8/17

N2 - BACKGROUND: The American Association of Medical Colleges has defined peripheral intravenous cannulation as one of the eight practical skills that a medical student should possess upon graduation. Since following a standard hygiene protocol can reduce the rate of complications such as bloodstream infections, the medical student's compliance to hygienic standards is highly relevant.METHODS: This unicentric longitudinal cohort study included 177 medical students undergoing OSCE 1 in the winter semesters 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 as well as OSCE 2 during the winter semesters 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 at the University of Cologne. Their performance in peripheral intravenous cannulation was rated by trained student supervisors using a scaled 13-item questionnaire and compared between OSCE 1 and OSCE 2.RESULTS: Overall, a decline in the correct placement of peripheral intravenous catheters was observed among advanced medical students during OSCE 2 (mean total score: 6.27 ± 1.84) in comparison to their results in OSCE 1 (mean total score: 7.67 ± 1.7). During OSCE 2, the students were more negligent in regard to hygienic behavior, such as disinfection of the puncture site as well as hand disinfection before and after venipuncture. Their patients were also less likely to be informed about the procedure as compared to OSCE 1.CONCLUSIONS: An unsatisfying performance in regard to peripheral intravenous cannulation was observed in medical students with hygiene compliance deteriorating between the third and fifth year of their study. Thus, we promote an extension of practical hygiene and stress management training in medical school to reduce complications associated with intravenous catheters, such as bloodstream infections.

AB - BACKGROUND: The American Association of Medical Colleges has defined peripheral intravenous cannulation as one of the eight practical skills that a medical student should possess upon graduation. Since following a standard hygiene protocol can reduce the rate of complications such as bloodstream infections, the medical student's compliance to hygienic standards is highly relevant.METHODS: This unicentric longitudinal cohort study included 177 medical students undergoing OSCE 1 in the winter semesters 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 as well as OSCE 2 during the winter semesters 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 at the University of Cologne. Their performance in peripheral intravenous cannulation was rated by trained student supervisors using a scaled 13-item questionnaire and compared between OSCE 1 and OSCE 2.RESULTS: Overall, a decline in the correct placement of peripheral intravenous catheters was observed among advanced medical students during OSCE 2 (mean total score: 6.27 ± 1.84) in comparison to their results in OSCE 1 (mean total score: 7.67 ± 1.7). During OSCE 2, the students were more negligent in regard to hygienic behavior, such as disinfection of the puncture site as well as hand disinfection before and after venipuncture. Their patients were also less likely to be informed about the procedure as compared to OSCE 1.CONCLUSIONS: An unsatisfying performance in regard to peripheral intravenous cannulation was observed in medical students with hygiene compliance deteriorating between the third and fifth year of their study. Thus, we promote an extension of practical hygiene and stress management training in medical school to reduce complications associated with intravenous catheters, such as bloodstream infections.

KW - Catheterization

KW - Catheters

KW - Clinical Competence

KW - Educational Measurement

KW - Humans

KW - Hygiene

KW - Longitudinal Studies

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - Students, Medical

U2 - 10.1186/s12909-021-02868-5

DO - 10.1186/s12909-021-02868-5

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 34404414

VL - 21

SP - 434

JO - BMC MED EDUC

JF - BMC MED EDUC

SN - 1472-6920

IS - 1

ER -