Intravenous Infiltration and Extravasations: Knowledge among Nurses in Pediatric Hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan

Introduction: Infiltration and extravasation are complications of intravenous administration therapiesinvolving unintended leakage of solution into the surrounding tissue. Consequences range from localirritation to amputation. The aim of the study is to study nurses’ knowledge about intravenous infiltrationand extravasation.Method: Descriptive cross-sectional, hospital-based study. A study was conducted at four pediatrichospitals in Khartoum state. 165 nurses were included using simple random sampling of differentworking experiences. Data were collected by face-to-face interview questionnaire.Results: Of participants 25.5% defined intravenous infiltration correctly, most participants 76.4%had a poor level of knowledge about identification of infiltration, only 1.8% of participants knew theterm extravasation, and most nurses 78.2% had a poor level of knowledge that antibiotics causingextravasation. There was statistically significant with qualification P-value < 0.001Conclusion: The study concluded that nurses had a poor level of knowledge on intravenous infiltrationand extravasation. The study recommended education, guideline, and standards for intravenous therapyshould be adopted to ensure the best practices.