Table 1. Characteristics of trial participants stratified according to treatment allocation (intravenous catheterisation on dorsum of hand or lower forearm).
| Hand Dorsum n = 154 | Forearm n = 153 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 29.8 ± 3.8 | 29.7 ± 3.8 |
| Gestational age (weeks) | 39.3 ± 1.1 | 39.3 ± 1.2 |
| Body Mass Index | 28.4 ± 4.8 | 28.7 ± 4.7 |
| Parity | ||
| Nulliparous | 70 (45.5) | 66 (43.1) |
| Para 1 | 39 (25.3) | 47 (30.7) |
| Para 2 and above | 45 (29.2) | 40 (26.1) |
| Ethnicity | ||
| Malay | 110 (71.4) | 95 (62.1) |
| Chinese | 22 (14.3) | 30 (19.6) |
| Indian | 14 (9.1) | 12 (7.8) |
| Others | 8 (5.2) | 16 (10.5) |
| Handedness2 | ||
| Right | 138 (89.6) | 139 (90.8) |
| Left | 16 (10.4) | 14 (9.2) |
| Anticipated use of intravenous catheter1 | ||
| Blood taking | 144 (93.5) | 143 (93.5) |
| Intravenous fluid | 65 (42.2) | 74 (48.4) |
| Precautionary | 49 (31.8) | 46 (30.3) |
| Intravenous drug | 23 (14.9) | 23 (15.0) |
| Blood transfusion | 5 (3.2) | 2 (1.3) |
| Participants’ preferred site (at enrolment)2 | ||
| Dorsum of hand | 45 (29.2) | 34 (22.2) |
| Forearm | 14 (9.1) | 18 (11.8) |
| No preference | 95 (61.7) | 101 (66.0) |
| Non-dominant arm first attempt | 118 (76.6) | 124 (81.0) |
| Inserter experience3 | ||
| House officer | 129 (83.8) | 133 (86.9) |
| Medical officer | 25 (16.2) | 20 (13.1) |
| Participants undelivered at hospital discharge | 5 (3.2) | 10 (6.6) |
Data expressed as mean ± standard deviation and number (%). Analyses by Student t test for comparison of means for continuous data, Fisher’s exact test for 2 × 2 categorical datasets and Chi Square test for larger than 2 × 2 categorical datasets. P > 0.05 for all analyses.
1Providers may provide more than one anticipated use for intravenous cannulation.
2As stated by participants.
3Preregistration house officers participating in the trial have a minimum 6 months post basic qualification experience and were independently inserting peripheral intravenous cannulas. Medical officers were registered medical practitioners and all were in the obstetrics and gynaecology specialist trainee program.