Experiences and perceptions of critical care nurses on the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to establish peripheral venous access in patients with difficult intravenous access: a qualitative study

Objectives This study aims to explore and describe critical care nurses' (CCNs') experiences and perceptions of using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to establish peripheral intravenous access in patients with difficult intravenous access (DIVA).Design A qualitative design with a hermeneutic approach was chosen for this study. From May to August 2022, data were collected using individual, face-to-face, and digital semistructured interviews and analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis.Setting The study were conducted in six intensive care units in both Norway and Sweden.Participants Nine CCNs experienced in using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to establish peripheral intravenous access in patients with DIVA were recruited.Results Data analysis led to the construction of the overarching theme: 'POCUS simplifies a complicated procedure' based on the following five subthemes: 'Sharing the experience', 'Seeing inside the body', 'Independent in establishing difficult intravenous access', 'Using POCUS to increase action readiness', and 'Appreciating an expanded role as critical care nurses'.Conclusion Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access can become a valuable skill for CCN's caring for patients with DIVA in the intensive care unit. This practice can potentially reduce patient suffering, improve patient outcomes, enable the CCN to provide high-quality care, improve action readiness, time management and job satisfaction for the nurses.