Is there anyone out there working in a hospital where IV Team is responsible for all IV starts/restarts on telemetry and stepdown units? Rationale? We are having a debate about this
at my hospital(AGH-Pittsburgh Pa)
Thanks for your help
OGM
Is there anyone out there working in a hospital where IV Team is responsible for all IV starts/restarts on telemetry and stepdown units? Rationale? We are having a debate about this
at my hospital(AGH-Pittsburgh Pa)
Thanks for your help
OGM
Over my 40 years in infusion therapy, on teams from 1972 thru 1995, the team has always been on-call for any issues in all critical care areas, telemetry, step down units, ER. Usually the person in charge of the team for each shift is the one who receives the calls from these units and can usually go rather quickly. I can see the need for the infusion team to cover these areas though. It would depend upon the specific needs of those units. If the patients were being stuck excessively, patient complaints, high number of supplies being used unnecessarily, then I can totally understand the need for the infusion team to cover them on a regular basis. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Our IV Team is responsible for all starts/restarts on all of the nursing floors, including the Telemetry floor. We are called when needed in the specialty areas (re: units, ER, Radiology, etc.). It keeps the patients from being stuck numerous times before a site can be obtained. It also allows the IV nurse to be more aware of patients who may benefit from a PICC.