Sounds familiar? Growing up, it’s my favorite Sesame Street segment. At several recent meetings with physician groups and administrators who were getting ready to open up an infusion center, it became very obvious they were confused about the following. 1. An infusion nurse (aka IV nurse) is not the same as a phlebotomist. An infusion nurse…
Just a few interesting articles… 1. “Poppy Pocket” – a safe and discreet way for patients to manage their infusion pumps. What a great idea! How many times have our patients complained of having to carry their pumps and nowhere to put it? This was designed by a daughter of a patient who battled cancer and…
…it burns when you flush my port! In case you missed it… “The Case of the Painful Port” a very interesting article published by ONS Connect and shared by a twitter colleague @ONSmark. Read article here… This case is a very good reminder for us nurses to stop and listen to what our patients are…
In 1980, the professional practice of infusion nursing was formally recognized when the United States House of Representatives declared January 25 as IV Nurse Day. This recognition was the beginning of what the infusion specialty has become. Specialization marks the advancement of nursing practice. It signifies that nursing has moved from a global approach to…
and I am wondering if what seeped into my arm will yield any medicinal benefit or if it’s like not getting anything at all? This was a question posted by a reader of this blog. Thanks for posting this interesting question. While I could have readily given an answer based on my experience, I wanted…
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…
2011 went by so fast and just like most of you, I can’t believe it’s already 2012. 2011 was a good year f0r me professionally and an equally good year for this blog as well. Through this blog, I have met so many wonderful individuals, learned so much from them, and very grateful for their…
A twitter nurse colleague (@chemosabe) shared an interesting article recently: Errors in the administration of intravenous medications in hospital and the role of correct procedures and nurse experience Johanna I Westbrook, Marilyn I Rob, Amanda Woods, Dave Parry BMJ Qual Saf 2011;20:1027-1034 Published Online First: 20 June 2011 The objective of the study was to…
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…
We’ve all heard it before…in healthcare, anything can happen, hence there is no guarantee. Well, that is until the press release for a new needlefree catheter patency device called “Neutron” came out on Oct. 4, 2011. Click here for the press release. Neutron, according to its manufacturer ICU Medical, is the world’s first and only…
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