IV Therapy Training: Essential Tools and Techniques for Success
IV therapy is a standard medical procedure for hydrating and medicating patients by delivering fluids and nutrients directly into their veins through a catheter. Every nursing and medical student must know how to administer IV treatment to patients before entering their professional careers. Good IV therapy training is essential to ensure your student's success.
The best way to establish a high-quality IV therapy training program is to incorporate the essential tools and techniques students need for success. You can obtain these tools from IV insertion kits or IV maintenance kits or select them individually from a medical supply store.
The standardized IV insertion kit features everything your students will need to learn how to insert IV catheters safely and securely. The items featured include:
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Tourniquet
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Sterile gloves
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Alcohol swab
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Saline-filled syringe
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Surgical tape
The standardized IV maintenance kit features the critical tools that students need to safely maintain the administration of nutrients and fluids into the patient. The items in the IV maintenance kit include:
To ensure your students receive comprehensive IV therapy training, provide both the insertion and maintenance kits to give them a complete understanding of the IV treatment process. You may also want to customize your IV kit with other tools to accommodate your specific IV therapy lesson plans, such as IV poles and infusion pumps. You will learn more about these additional tool options as you continue reading.
Below is an overview of the top 8 IV therapy training techniques and the tools associated with them.
1) Assess Patient
A medical professional will complete an assessment of the patient’s medical history to determine which liquid medications should be administered and how much should be administered. Consulting with the patient’s primary care physician can also help if the professional has questions about the patient’s medical history.
Beginner students can practice on simulated manikins before graduating to human-simulated patients. Certain high-fidelity manikins are designed with realistic limbs, torsos, and points of entry to emulate the practice of patient care. Some manikins even let you insert IV catheter tubes into them to simulate the administration of medications and fluids.
2) Select a Vein Site
The best vein location to insert the catheter depends on the size and depth of the vein and the patient's needs. The arm, hand, or foot are commonly chosen vein site locations because they are larger, straighter, and easier to access. There is also less chance of complications and discomfort.
Gently palpate the chosen vein to verify that it is the correct size and depth. This task is more relevant when working with simulated human patients. Students who work only with manikins can run through the motions without seeing an actual vein. Now, the tourniquet will be applied to simulate stopping the blood flow to the site.
3) Clean the Vein Site
Students must learn to sterilize the vein site with an antiseptic solution. To do so, they must use a sterile swab coated with the solution, typically consisting of 70% alcohol and 2% chlorhexidine. The saturated swab is then applied to the vein site, and the student gently moves it around in circular motions to clean and sterilize it.
Students should wear sterilized medical gloves to prevent infecting the patient or themselves from the beginning to the end of the IV therapeutic procedure. Look for “sterile” rather than “non-sterile” when shopping for gloves.
4) Insert the Catheter
Students are now ready to insert the catheter needle into the vein site. It must be inserted in a controlled, gentle manner at a 15 ° to 30° angle. Many beginner students struggle with this part because it is delicate and requires precision and accuracy. That is another reason a manikin is a preferable training tool for beginners.
5) Secure the Catheter
Apply an adhesive patch or strap to secure the catheter at the vein site. Securing the catheter is imperative to prevent it from getting accidentally moved around or dislodged. Beginner students must practice this a couple of times before they get it right. Also, ensure the IV bag's liquid medication is successfully flowing through the catheter tube and into the patient’s vein as needed.
6) Maintain Sterilization and Fluid Supply
The IV catheter can remain in the patient’s vein for up to 96 hours before it needs to be replaced. Periodically replacing the catheter prevents infection at the vein site. Students should know to maintain sterilization when treating the site, which means keeping the site clean and only using sterile gloves.
Depending on their condition, patients may need short-term or long-term IV therapy. If the medication fluid supply in the IV bag is low, students must refill it to keep the medication flowing smoothly into the patient’s vein.
7) Monitor the Site and Flush the Line
Students need to regularly monitor the vein site for signs of problems, such as leakage, redness, or swelling around the site. If any skin imperfections appear, it could indicate that the catheter needle was not inserted correctly or there is some other adverse reaction to the medication. Teach students about the necessary contingency plans for overcoming such problems.
8) Receive Feedback
Each student should receive feedback from their teacher and colleagues about what they did right and wrong regarding IV insertion and maintenance. A human-simulated patient is also trained to provide real-time feedback after each student’s actions. This feedback will help students learn from their mistakes and perform better for their patients in the future.
Find Your IV Therapy Training Supplies
Are you searching for high-quality IV therapy training supplies for your students?
Pristine Medical is the premier provider of IV tools, accessories, and nursing kits suitable for training nursing and medical students. Its assortment of essential IV tools aligns with the most common IV therapy training programs and techniques.