Introduction:
Peripheral venous access is among the most frequently performed invasive procedures in hospitalized patients. Local complications may cause pain, interruption of intravenous therapy, repeated cannulation, infection, or superficial venous thrombosis.

Aim:
To present an evidence-informed practical pathway for assessment and initial management of pain, swelling, and redness at a peripheral venous access site as symptoms suggestive of superficial phlebitis.

Material and methods:
A structured narrative review used PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library. Searches covered January 1998 –12 September 2026 and focused on PIVC-related phlebitis, VIP scoring, extravasation, catheter removal, infection, ultrasonography, and superficial/upper-extremity venous thrombosis. Priority was given to systematic reviews, guidelines/consensus documents, randomized trials, and studies of phlebitis assessment tools.

Results and discussion:
The revised pathway emphasizes immediate clinical assessment, differentiation from extravasation and infection, and standardized grading using the commonly used Jackson-derived 0–5 Visual Infusion Phlebitis (VIP) scale. In this 0–5 framework, a score of 2 or higher represents phlebitis and prompts catheter removal/re-siting. Fixed observation intervals, centimetre cut-offs, and specific local-treatment regimens are not intrinsic components of the VIP score and should follow institutional policy and the clinical context.

Conclusions:
Standardized assessment may improve recognition and documentation of peripheral intravenous catheter complications. The proposed algorithm should be used as an adjunct to clinical judgement and local protocols rather than as a prescriptive, universally validated treatment guideline.