Description
By the end of the course, practitioners will be able to:
- Discuss legal and professional responsibilities associated with performing venepuncture and cannulation
- Describe the relevant anatomy and identify suitable veins
- List indications and contraindications
- Identify and discuss the range of equipment required
- Understand the need to manage health & safety risk
- Demonstrate practical ability in performing procedures, gaining good quality blood samples and managing site appropriately
- Demonstrate correct procedures for minimising infection
- Identify potential problems, describing how to prevent them and what necessary interventions are required should they occur
Course Content
- Venepuncture definition and indications and rationale for best practice
- Legal and professional considerations and responsibilities
- Consent for care and treatment
- Anatomy of blood vessels, potential sites and vein selection
- Venepuncture contraindications
- Methods for improving venous access
- Infection control and safe use of sharps
- Preparation and equipment
- Correct management of blood samples – order of draw, inversions
- Preventing haemolysis of samples
- Venepuncture procedure
- Possible problems – prevention and solutions
- Cannulation – definition and purpose
- Site choice
- Device considerations
- Equipment for cannulation
- Procedure
- Sodium chloride flushes
- Cannula checks
- Phlebitis
- Infiltration
- Extravasation
- Thrombo-embolism