8 Tips for Efficient IV Catheterization

Nurses should perform the task over and over again in order to become proficient. Selecting the right IV site requires nurses to be educated on how to gauge patients' anatomies and be aware of what medications and fluids the patients will receive during surgery so they can make an informed decision about IV site selection.

Nurses must palpate the IV site properly and hold traction when advancing the catheter. Hospitals should invest in vein-finding technologies that use light or ultrasound to help nurses visualize veins beneath the skin. Moreover, nurses need to brush up periodically on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations pertaining to hand hygiene and site preparation for the insertion of peripheral intravenous catheters, which differ from the recommendations for central lines. Finally, all staff should be trained on needle and catheter devices, as well as how to educate patients about possible complications.

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