‘Adhesive tape is a unique piece of medical equipment because it is almost never washed or sterilized after initial opening of the package. In addition, a roll of tape may be used by and for many individuals and thereby become exposed to several patients and clinicians. Moreover, a roll is typically manipulated by a doctor, nurse, or other health care worker using ungloved hands. Finally, adhesive tape is applied in close contact to the intravascular insertion site for extended periods.’(Redelmeier and Livesley, 1999: 2).
There are a number of alternative and more effective catheter-securement devices that the nurse can use to secure IV cannulas. For example, transparent semipermeable polyurethane dressings are the most means of dressing and securing IV catheter insertion sites, especially central venous catheters (Gillies et al, 2003). Although transparent dressings can secure the device, permit continuous visual inspection of the catheter site and permit patients to bathe and shower without saturating the dressing, it has been reported that the rates of colonisation found in catheters dressed with either gauze or semi-permeable transparent dressings are comparable Indeed, Webster et al (2011) found a four-fold increase in the rate of catheter-related bloodstream infection when a polyurethane dressing was