I need help with my first major speech: IV Therapy

If it were me, I'd start by just writing a speech without consideration of the other things. Then I would evaluate what I had written and modify it from there. I think if you go in trying to make it to conform from the get go it will be overwhelming.

Is the audience the general public, or nursing students? Are they patients? Will they be learning to place IV's themselves, or are will they be receiving IV's as a patient?

Goals: Audience will be able to

• verbalize indications for IV therapy
  
• recognize supplies used for IV site placement
  
• verbalize care of the IV catheter site

Sorry, I need additional info to be more specific.

I would definitely recruit a "cheeky" boy to come in with an IV pole and hospital gown on.

Nothing quite like an accidental flash to break the ice on your speech!

(ok maybe one of those fake butt Halloween costumes...you don't need to distract the class too much!)

:chuckle

Tait

Is the audience the general public, or nursing students? Are they patients? Will they be learning to place IV's themselves, or are will they be receiving IV's as a patient?

Goals: Audience will be able to

• verbalize indications for IV therapy
  
• recognize supplies used for IV site placement
  
• verbalize care of the IV catheter site

Sorry, I need additional info to be more specific.

I have to analyze the audience, and if it's the general public like people of the community, I have to mold the speech around them. I want them to have knowledge in IV Therapy, how would I do this for just the typical general public? What about the public would or wouldn't they know about IV's?

I'd say that the general public could learn about the following:

• the term IV catheter, and the fact that it isn't a needle that stays in the vein (many don't realize that its just a "plastic tube", or "plastic straw" that stays in the vein)
  
• where IV catheters are commonly placed in the body
  
• what locations are convenient for an IV, and what locations aren't (ie AC)
  
• the different sizes, and why someone might need a larger IV opposed to a smaller one (like if they need a blood transfusion)
  
• that an IV site should be clean and dry, and the patient needs to notify staff if it is leaking, if the dressing is coming off, or if the IV is infusing and is suddenly painful
  
• blood backing up in the IV tubing is fine, and usually isn't a problem (I have had patients FREAK out that a small amount of blood is in their catheter)
  
• the reasons why IV medications work faster compared to oral medications
  
• emphasize that the person placing the IV should wash their hands in front of the patient, and should be wearing gloves and clean the IV site WELL and allow the site to dry (and that its ok to ask the person to wash their hands and wear gloves)
  
• the person that is giving the medication through the IV should explain what the medication is, what it is for, and side affects (ie "here's some morphine for your pain, it may make you feel sleepy"; or "I'm giving you a mineral called potassium through your IV, because your blood levels are too low and low levels can cause your heart to beat abnormally, and you need to use the call light if the site is painful")
  
• that its important to hold still when someone is putting an IV in you

Here's a document aimed at nurses that has a list of IV flow rates: www.bd.com/infusion/pdfs/d16131.pdf

Is this the type of stuff that you are looking for?

good luck with your speech. you'll knock them out !

for general public: tell them the needle does not stay in the vein and that no one but the MD or nurse is to mess with the pump.

Thank all of you for your help and advice, I think that I've gathered enough information to knock'em out with my speech!!! Thank you again!:yeah: