Today, we celebrate National Nurses Day to honor the 3.1 million registered nurses in the United States. According to the American Nurses Association: There are 2.6 million licensed registered nurses employed in nursing 62.2% of employed RNs work in hospitals The average age of employed RNs is 45.5 years 45% of RNs are age 50…
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous 3 events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those…
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…
As nurses and healthcare providers, we have seen the dramatic effects of infusing IV fluids to patients who are dehydrated, needing fluid replacement/supplement or those with symptoms resulting in electrolyte imbalance, and other cases when taking oral intake of foods/fluids is not enough, and the list goes on…. Now that list includes…HANGOVER! The movie? Well,…
I came across this interesting article on a study that shows chemo costs less in doctor’s offices. Chemotherapy Treatment in Hospitals Costs 24% more than Treatment in Physician’s Offices The study found that care for patients treated in a physician’s office is less expensive regardless of the length of the chemotherapy duration. The average chemotherapy…
..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…
I’m sure no one will be surprised to hear that many services in acute care and outpatient settings are outsourced to individuals or organizations who specialized in certain tasks or services. One of these outsourced services include vascular access device insertion, in particular PICC insertions. There are several independent companies and/or individuals who provide PICC insertion service, many…
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…
Infusion Nurse Blog 