National guidelines for improving quality and patient safety in healthcare: An interprofessional participatory project for the adaptation and implementation of a national guideline on peripheral venous catheters

Background: Evidence-based clinical guidelines are essential to ensuring high patient safety and consistent healthcare quality. While many countries have established national structures for guideline development, Switzerland lacks a comparable system. International evidence shows that national, methodologically standardized guidelines lead to more effective, efficient, and safer care. This project aims to address this gap by adapting high-quality international guidelines—initially on peripheral venous catheter management—into the Swiss context and the three national languages, integrating clinical expertise and patients’ preferences.

Methods: The project uses participatory practice-development methods and follows the ADAPTE methodology for guideline adaptation. It is structured into four work packages (WP) based on the JBI Model of Evidence-Based Healthcare:

• WP1: Evidence generation
• WP2: Evidence synthesis and guideline adaptation
• WP3: Evidence transfer
• WP4: Evidence implementation and evaluation using the JBI Implementation Framework

Expected Results and Impact: The project will provide Switzerland with its first evidence-based national guideline on peripheral venous catheters, promoting safe, high-quality, and standardized clinical practice. Expected benefits include increased patient safety, fewer complications such as infections, improved quality indicators, and more efficient use of financial and human resources. The guideline will serve as a model for future national guidelines, fostering long-term improvements in healthcare quality across Switzerland.

Project leader

• Professor Janine Vetsch, PhD – OST – Center for Evidence-based Healthcare
• Professor Véronique de Goumoëns, PhD – Bureau d’Echange des Savoirs pour des praTiques exemplaires de soins (BEST)
• Professor Christoph von Dach, DNP – Bern University of Applied Sciences