Relationship between work context and adherence to a clinical practice guideline for peripheral venous catheters among registered nurses in pediatric care.

BACKGROUND: It is known that registered nurses' (RNs') work context is related to their use of research and that it can affect nurse and patient satisfaction, as well as the outcomes of care. However, little is known about the relationship between work context and nurses' adherence to clinical practice guidelines. The aim of this study was to describe RNs' adherence to a clinical practice guideline (CPG) on the management of peripheral venous catheters (PVCs), their perceptions of work context, and how nurses' work context and characteristics relate to guideline adherence.
METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted at a large pediatric university hospital in Sweden. Data were collected through a questionnaire on RNs' adherence to components of a CPG and by using the Alberta Context Tool to assess the nurses' perceptions of work context, including leadership, culture, feedback processes, and other organizational characteristics.
RESULTS: Work context--in the form of structural and electronic resources, information sharing activities, and feedback processes--was in different ways associated with the adherence to the CPG components. The RNs' adherence on unit level varied: half the units demonstrated complete adherence on disinfection of hands, whereas a majority of the units reported less than 70% adherence on the use of disposable gloves and the daily inspection of a PVC site. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Our findings indicate that components in one CPG might require diverse implementation strategies because they are linked to different contextual factors.