[Jonesy]

I keep making mistakes on the OASIS and it is soooo frustrating. I also had such a bad 2 days last week I did a soc on a pt who had a PAC and was getting ABX Therapy well I had to get a lab draw and I drew it from the port I guess I wasn't supposed to do that I was supposed to get it peripheral I thought you could do it from the PAC? Then the pt didn't want the Huber Needle left in the port so the pt told me that the supervisor said it was okay to leave it out because it keeps bothering her so I told her it was okay to have it removed the care giver had instructions on how to remove it... the other nurse went and saw this pt and didn't get blood return! I was told later that they need to stay in for 5 days I don't know if I can continue in HH? I keep thinking about what I did or didn't finish ect... HELP any of you have the same expirences?

[SWRN84]

Sounds like you've had a rough few days. As far as ports go....we do draw blood from ports and PICC's, as long as we have the order to do so. Huber needles can be left in place with a dressing and we change those needles once weekly. When you take it out you have to flush with the heparin solution. Did you do that before you dc'd the needle? We do all of the care involved with the port as far as accessing the site, removing the needle, etc. We do teach family members to deliver antx through these types of lines, but we (home care nurses) are responsible for re-accessing and dc'ing the needles themselves.

As far as mistakes on OASIS....don't beat yourself up over that. If you are fairly new to home care, it does take quite awhile to get the hang of it. The most important thing is to really DO those OASIS assessments and not take the patient's word for what they can and cannot do. You will get the hang of it over time.

I would definitely review your agency policies/procedure manual as far as the IV infusion/blood draw. Every agency is different, so it's best to know what your standard of care for your agency is. But as far as the ports go....yes, you can obtain bloodwork from them if you have an order, and if you follow the correct procedure for flushes, de accessing, etc.