Intravenous Nurse Specialist Educator Forum
19 November 2010 - Wellington Airport Conference Centre - details to follow
March 2010 - click here for the report
September 2008
21 Nurse Specialists came from around the country to attend this forum, held the day before the 11th IVNNZ Inc. conference.
The morning session began with a discussion forum, which included how we are count and record the external PICC line measurement. This provoked great discussion with the end result being that a recommendation was put forward to IVNNZ Inc. to formalise a national standard to include the following.
Measurement of the catheter is from the insertion site, to the bottom of the hub of the catheter. (Definition of hub * the end of the catheter joins to end of the Y point connection).
The literature supports the frequency of this measurement to be daily.
Continued discussion topics included the following:
- What type of heat device is applied post traumatic PICC insertion?
- Does it comply with health and safety and infection control polices?
The outcome was to educate the patient to keep the arm warm. It was also suggested that heat was only to be applied for traumatic insertions. No standard heat device was identified from the different DHB's.
Guest speaker Beth Loe (Pharmacist), presented on behalf of DHBNZ Safe and Quality Use of Medicines Group an update on the proposed National Medication Chart.
Carolyn Johnston discussed the implementation of the phlebitis scale into the Waikato DHB and the challenges IV Nurses face with changing practice and nursing culture.
Elizabeth Culverwell presented to the group 'An evidence based change of practice initiative' that has been implemented into the South Island Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Christchurch DHB. The intention was to reduce catheter related blood stream infections by the removal of heparin locking - utilising the latest researched literature to support this change in practice.
The last hour was spent discussing the possible notion of a national certification programme, and the further progression of the IVNNZ Inc. framework. After in-depth discussion there was unanimous consensus that a national certification process is needed and worthwhile pursuing. It is currently recognised that there are inconsistencies with the education and certification provided, with no two hospitals using the same systems or programs. Further consultation will take place at the next IVNNZ Inc. executive meeting, as to the way forward.
March 2007
The second Intravenous Nurses forum was held in Christchurch , the day before the Intravenous Nursing New Zealand Inc. Conference. 29 Nurse Specialists came from around the country to attend this forum. The objective of the forum was the sharing of ideas and networking. There was an opportunity for nurse specialists in Intravenous therapy who often work autonomously, to brain storm and discuss topics in relation to clinical issues in the arena of intravenous therapy.
The afternoon started with guest speaker Beth Loe (Pharmacist), who presented on behalf of DHBNZ safe and Quality Use of Medicines Group, a consultation document proposing a medication alert surrounding intravenous infusion practices. The purpose of the alert was to highlight a number of strategies that should be implemented to minimize the clinical risk associated with the preparation and administration of Intravenous Medicines. There will be opportunity for feedback, as Beth acknowledged the importance of gaining feedback from specialist nurses.
This was followed by three presentations from Intravenous Nurse Specialists: Kate Laidlow (Lakes DHB), Rebecca Fergusson (Hutt DHB) and Christine Hewitt (ADHB).
Kate presented a case study on a patient with a Central Venous Catheter complication, where the tip of the catheter had been found in the subintimal space. The presentation included the nursing implications and action required in identifying this serious complication and future recommendations for practice. Kate has forwarded an article of this case study for this newsletter.
Rebecca presented an IV Cannulation audit tool that had recently been developed to review best practice for policy compliance with IV and Related Therapies Manual at Hutt Valley Hospital. The tool also used technology such as photography, which enabled the auditor to provide staff visual evidence of phlebitis in action.
Christine covered a day in the life of a Home IV nurse and the infectious disease team with which she works,discussing the process of how they discharge, plan and follow up the patients accepted onto the Home IV program.
The last hour was spent discussing the possible notion of a national certification programme, and the further progression of the IVNNZ Inc. framework. After in-depth discussion there was unanimous consensus that a national certification process is needed and worthwhile pursuing. It is currently recognized that there are inconsistencies with the education and certification provided with no two hospitals using the same systems or programs. Further consultation will occur at the next IVNNZ Inc. executive meeting as to the way forward.
Evaluation from the day - that the attendees shared overwhelming support for the need to continue with the extremely beneficial forums.
September 2006
At the September 2005 IVNNZ conference, it was identified by the Nurse Specialists, that more time was required for networking and information sharing. The inaugural IVNNZ IV Nurse Specialist Forum, planned and facilitated by Carolyn Johnston IVNNZ Educator, was held in Wellington in September 2006.
27 nurses attended for the forum. There was excellent coverage nationally with attendees from Invercargill, Ashburton, Christchurch, Blenheim, Nelson, Wellington, Hutt Valley, Palmerston North, Masterton, Gisborne, Tauranga, Rotorua, Hamilton and Auckland.
The primary objectives of the day were networking and information sharing. Margie Burt, President IVNNZ presented the National Certification Framework, developments to date and her recent discussions with Nursing Council. This generated much discussion. Elizabeth Culverwell discussed what IVNNZ means, the history, current functions, membership benefits, and future direction.
Group discussion included, quality auditing, infection rates and community management.
Selected attendees shared projects they have been working on: these included, a flip chart for identification of pheblitis, establishing a desk file for IV Nurse Specialists and competency forms for certificating nurses
Over a working lunch, Sharon Burmeister spoke about quality effectiveness, medication management, quality and error reduction.
Heparinised Saline was discussed and the complexities and varying regimes between hospitals.
Evaluation forms returned indicated a successful forum, with some of the suggested future topics for discussion: tips on trialling products, transfusion issues and 'is recertification necessary'
Thank you to Carolyn Kirker at Wellington Hospital for hosting this forum, and to Cardinal Health for sponsoring catering and providing a guest speaker.
You must be an IVNNZ Inc. member and specialising in intravenous therapy to attend. There is no registration fee to attend.
Contact the Educator, via the 'Contact Us' enquiry form on this website for further details.