When you are trying to change practice to be in compliance with a new set of guidelines or standards (such as those from CDC or INS or ONS, etc), what do you see as the most common obstacles or barriers? Do you hear different issues from management? What are the challenges with getting staff nurses to begin the new practices? Any comments, opinions, experiences or feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Lynn
1. Common practice is firmly entrenched, nurses don't see the need to change.
2. Many are competative with their skills and believe the nurse who can cannulate a difficult patient is the IV expert.
3. The professional organizations are not well known. (When I earned my CRNI the HR department had to research to find out if it was a "real" credential!)
4. Nursing schools are still not teaching vascular access according to standards.
there's a start.
I would love to find statistics on the trends in vascular access related lawsuits. Not to hijack your thread, but any info in that regard would be appreciated. It might open some eyes to the need for change.
I have tried to find the same information about infusion related lawsuits but it is almost impossible. The vast majority of cases are settled out of court. That always means that the amount of the settlement is private. As the expert, I do not even know how much the settlement was for. Those that do go to trial are public but they happen in all the thousands of local municipal courts all over the country. There are several databases for lawsuits but there are fees to search them. The lawyers I have know to search them did not come up with much. Ann Zonderman is a nurse attorney on this site and I am sure could add much to your questions. As an expert, I maintain a database of the cases I have worked on. But only looking at the cases for one expert would not give you a complete picture. Lawyers find me through my publications, mainly infiltration and extravasation. So my case load is very much slanted toward that complication. Sorry for that news, but thanks for your other comments! 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
thanks Lynn. I have been looking for that information for a long time and thought my research skills must be dull. It seems a reduced exposure to risk would be a compelling reason for change in practice. Maybe NSO and other malpractice insurance companies could shed some light?
again, sorry for hijacking your thread.
There is one report from an insurance company but the infusion related lawsuits are not separated. Download that report herewww.cna.com/vcm_content/CNA/internet/Static%20File%20for%20Download/Risk%20Control/Medical%20Services/UnderstandingNurseLiability,2006-2010-AThree-PartApproach-11-2011.pdf
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
Thank you so much.
I have never seen on compilation listing of cases but there are many listed on different web sources..
I do Google, or Bing searches for IV lawsuits, PICC lawsuits, etc... I did some past searches for MRSA law suits... there were many in the past..
Poke around you will find many.. leads including lawfirms
nololaw.com is a free web site with good search abilities..
Most of the IV cases are phlebitis, infiltrations, limb damage or loss.. etc.. Check out the photos on this web site (Thank You Sarah!!) each horrible patient injury is potential for a lawsuit...
Ann Zonderman, BSN, JD, CRNI