Vessel Health and Preservation Framework

Overview

Vascular access is essential for many patients but carries risks. Inspired by a US model, the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) developed the UK Vessel Health and Preservation (VHP) framework. This framework is a practical resource to help frontline staff assess and choose the most appropriate vascular access device (VAD) for each patient, ensuring veins are preserved for future use.

Purpose of the VHP Framework 

The VHP framework aims to establish a standardised approach to:

• Assessing blood vessels.
• Choosing suitable vascular devices.
• Supporting decisions around medication and fluid administration.

To contact the VHP team please e-mail [email protected].

Vessel Health A2 Poster 

• Based on evidence and guidelines (Moureau et al., 2012; Hallam et al., 2016). 
• Evaluated through studies on its use and impact on VAD insertion and management (Burnett et al., 2018; Weston et al., 2017). 
• Supports a complex adaptive systems approach for adult vascular access in acute or planned settings. 
• This poster has been kindly supported by Teleflex. 

Vessel Health Explanatory Video

Vessel Health Web-Based Toolkit

Launched in November 2023 and supported by 3M.

The toolkit is accessible on smartphones, tablets, and laptops so you can view all sections of the VHP framework conveniently.

Further Reading

UK Vessel Health and Preservation (VHP) Framework. For full details on the updated VHP2020 framework click on the link below.

Open Access Book Vessel Health and Preservation: The Right Approach for Vascular Access, edited by Nancy Moureau, is available on open access.