Prevalence of peripheral venous insufficiency among nursing staff

Abstract

Introduction: peripheral venous insufficiency is an ailment which affects many persons in the world, including the nursing professionals who, due to specific working conditions, and in some cases, to a not healthy life-style, are at greatest risk. There are few studies of this kind in nursing; so hopefully, the results will allow better knowing the situation and developing work- and-education-related strategies which can favor the prevention and treatment of this ailment.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of peripheral venous insufficiency among the nursing staff in a second level hospital, and identify the personal and labor-related characteristics which could be associated with.

Methodology: This is a quantitative, descriptive, and transversal study conducted on a group of nurses who were selected through simple random sampling.

Results: The prevalence of peripheral venous insufficiency was 68%. Some of the personal characteristics found were: a mean age of 29 years, consumption of tobacco and alcohol, obesity, overweight, and multiple pregnancies. Concerning the labor aspects, 91% reported being in a standing position between 6 and 8 hours per shift; 79% said they were sedentary; 49% stated they regularly use tight clothing; and 62% reported not wearing compressive stockings during the shift.

Discussion and conclusions: A significant percentage of the studied population showed peripheral venous insufficiency as well as characteristics which favor the development of this ailment. The results match those of other studies which reported prevalences of above 50% and personal- and-labor-related characteristics similar to those found here.