How can I teach a patient to do priming a line?

Hello all,

I need to write a teaching plan for a patient. Topic says "Teach a patient on following nursing skill: priming a line, connecting to an intermittent diffusion device".

I clarified with facilitator, that teaching should be done for a patient who is going to receive IV medications at home.

I created a case study, where my client has a pneumonia and is prescribed a/b for IV administration at home.

However, I don't get how does he going to prime a line if I need to flush it with saline?

Any help would be veeeery desired. Thanks.

[Kuriin, BSN, RN]

Teach him to spike the bag aseptically, open the port cap halfway (don't take it off) and unclamp everything and prime the bag via gravity. Also remind him that he needs to rid the line of all air bubbles by continuously priming the bag (thus wasting fluid) or by strumming the bubbles up to the closest port or drip chamber.

Thanks. This is priming a tubing, right?

I don't get the idea - why patient should prime a line, if he is going to connect to saline lock?

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

Because the tubing is filled with air.

[inchii]

Priming the IV line basically means priming the tubing.

[NICUmiiki, BSN, RN]

I'm sure that the question is referring to the tubing. In the hospital, you would prime the IV line (tubing), even if you were going to connect it to a saline lock.

Edited Oct 21, 2014 by Miiki

Thanks a lot! IT made a huuuuge sense. Finally I got it :)

In home health the goal is to teach the patient or family member to take over the IV administration as Nursing staff cannot be there every time the ABT is due. I found reviewing the methods with the patient manually and providing them with a paper guide seemed to be the best approach. I broke the instructions down into an outline format and reviewed the instruction according to the outline. I find giving pts a hands-on approach works the best. They seem very timid at first, but once everything is explained to them and the steps are in an order they can follow it really does work and by the time the ABT is over they are pros!!

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Don't you mean "infusion" ? If not I apologize; I want you to get the best grade possible

The line has to be filled with fluid and no bubbles before it can be activated. If you go to YouTube and look up priming a line video they have great examples.