In the line of duty
October is Vascular Access Month and in recognition, IV therapy wants to celebrate what makes our team special and how we’re continually working on making it great. On average, 98% of AAMC inpatients receive intravenous therapy. Whether we are starting IVs, inserting PICC lines, doing central line care, or following up on vascular complications, we’re likely to be visiting at least one of your patients each shift.
Every year, approximately 1,000,000 infusions are given at AAMC, and making sure patients have the appropriate venous access device to optimize their care is our main priority. While most of us spend the majority of our day placing peripherals, a member of the Vascular Access Team is personally checking EVERY central line EVERY day. This continuity allows us to keep ahead of any complications and has greatly reduced adverse events related to central venous access. Also, with the addition of the South Tower, it’s even more leg work. Many of you may have noticed some of us walking around with baskets instead of carts. This is just one of the many ways IV therapy is working on improving efficiency while maintaining a high standard of care. Another change we have made is moving from outside the CCU to the 2nd floor procedural area. We now have two PICC insertion rooms that allow us to place lines in a more controlled environment. As the hospital has expanded so have we, and we’re proud to be one of the only two free standing, nurse driven PICC insertion programs in the country.
With these changes, we hope that you have noticed improvements in the quality of care given to our patients and that you help us keep the momentum going. We also invite you to take this online webinar on preventing infections associated with peripheral catheters. Just click here!
-Silvia Faria, RN, BSN, CRNI
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