Venepuncture & IV Cannulation : the overlooked invasive procedure.

 

 

 

 

Venepuncture is the most commonly performed invasive procedure in hospitals. IV cannulation is the second most invasive procedure for patients in hospital. Today 85% - 95% of all hospitalised patients receive IV’s in one form or another.

There are a many factors that contribute to safe, sterile, comfortable  Venepuncture & IV cannulation, some of which  are technical but many have to do with how you prepare for the procedures , how you arrange your equipment ergonomically on your trolley, what you say to patients before during and after,  and how you deal with failed attempts.

There is a range of guidance on how to perform these key clinical skills. Most of  which has a focus on procedural steps . In my experience, choosing equipment is often left to the health care workers preference and the availability rather than what is most suitable for the patient. or considered best practice. 

 

This can often lead to difficulty during the procedure ,  repeated attempts , raised complication rates which ultimately leads to a rise in costs.

 

When considering guidance  and preparation for these  invasive procedures, a more holistic  approach could be  reviewed , to ensure you are set up for a successful procedure.

 

 

 

 

4 FOCUS AREAS TO REVIEW

• Absent / Failed Defences

These contributing factors result from inadequate or absent defences ,such as lack of risk management , lack of clinical audit or  poor/ outdated protocols.

• Individual / Team Actions

These are the errors or violations that led directly to the incident and are typically associated with personnel having direct contact with the equipment, such as key part contamination

• Task / Environmental Conditions

These are the conditions in existence immediately prior to, or at the time of the incident

that directly influence human and equipment performance in the workplace such as workspace, workload, resource availability ,time pressures

• Organisational Factors

These are organisational factors that produce the conditions that affect performance in the workplace such as staff training, equipment selection , patient safety culture

Please contact us by clicking on the link for a free comprehensive checklist of review actions for venepuncture & IV Cannulation.