A nurse colleague started a new job as an infusion nurse for a physician office based practice offering infusion services (non chemo) to their patients. After a few days, the nurse left the new job for the following reasons: Another RN in the office routinely mixes IV medication for the infusion nurses to administer. The IV medication…
I have now confirmed my blog readers are not only healthcare providers but are ‘actual’ patients. I get questions/emails/comments from them and they made it known to me that they are watching and noticing what we do to their venous access!! LOL.. So in the spirit of sharing and learning, without revealing anything about them,…
Recently, I have had a few questions regarding implanted ports so I decided to post it here in the spirit of sharing and learning . Q: A patient asked: why is it that sometimes my nurse wears a mask to access my port and sometimes they don’t? Should they or should they not wear a…
The poll results are in: 1. Do you think an RN should wear gloves when palpating for veins prior to venipuncture? Yes: 47 Votes 42% No: 65 Votes 58% 112 readers took the poll, and 58% said they think an RN should not wear gloves when palpating veins prior to venipuncture. 47% said they…
can lead to a lawsuit!! Yes, according to a news article, a medical malpractice lawsuit filed late last month accuses nurses and health care providers of negligence by giving the patient “an IV tainted with streptococcus pyogenes” — bacteria commonly associated with strep throat. Click here for more info. The harm – following the removal of…
..if we see veins like we had X-ray vision and insert IV catheters with one stick in patients with difficult to find veins?? Well, now there are several devices that can make the “venipuncture” experience much more tolerable, improves patient satisfaction and eliminates sticking patient’s veins blindly. They are called “vein-detecting” devices that use different types of technology and…
Midline catheters have been around since the 1950’s and with the increasing popularity of other venous access like PICCs, many have forgotten about this viable option for venous access. So let’s take a second look… A midline catheter is approximately 3-8 inches long and is inserted in the antecubital area and advanced into the peripheral…
Register to attend a FREE webinar on January 24, 2012 and receive 1.0 contact hours in nursing. Topic: Are you there yet? Integrating Infusion Nursing Standards into Your Practice The Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice are applicable to nurses providing infusion therapy across all healthcare settings. Whether you care for patients with vascular access requiring…
This maybe old news to some…but others may have missed it… Infiltration: Checking for blood return or back flow of blood is good for patency but not a reliable method for assessing infiltration at IV site. If infusion continues to run when you apply digital pressure 3 inches above peripheral IV site in front of…
…some latest news and initiatives on infection prevention and safety….. “Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients” – CDC is launching a new program called Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients, featuring tools to help both clinicians and patients prevent infections. CDC worked with partners to develop a Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings, which…
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