Iv site labeling, instant removal for no date

[jrbl77, RN]

At my hospital, we were recently informed that any IV site found without a date would be removed at the moment of discovery. By that I mean, management making pt rounds. I believe in labeling tubing, sites and dressings. I am not perfect and may slip up on occasion. However, if I was the pt that had their IV site removed becasue there was no date, I would not be happy.

In the day of striving for 100% pt satisfaction, I cannot see how this will help. Plus the nurse who has to restart the site, probably wasn't the one to start the site.

This reminds me of about 8 yrs ago when MD'S didn't have their records up to date, all procedures they had scheduled were cancelled. Can you imagine prepping at home for a colonoscopy only to get to the hospital and find it cancelled because you DR didn't have his paperwork done.

I truly believe that all health care should be carried out in the safest and best manner possible. But some of the ideas to make it better, do they really help make it better or just create more work for the nurse and more dissatisfaction for the pt?

[mindlor]

to me, if an IV is found with no date on the dressing, a chart check should be done. If the date of insertion can be gotten from the chart simply mark it on the dressing.......

silly to rip it out straightaway.....

[rn/writer, RN]

Teach the nurse at the patient's expense? That is such a bad idea I'm sputtering! What about those patients who are hard sticks? What about those who aren't but just hate anything that looks like a needle? Can you imagine telling a patient, "I need to change your IV. No, there's nothing wrong with it, but the nurse who inserted it didn't label it properly, and she has to be taught a lesson. Why are you paying the freight for her mistake? That's a really good question."

Perhaps, someone might want to put a bug in Risk Management's ear about this horrendous idea. Sometimes the right hand truly doesn't know what the left hand is doing, and they're absolutely appalled when they find out.

Call the nurse at home, no matter what time it is. Give 'em demerit points and write incident reports, if need be. Keep track some other way that hits home with the offender. But don't--I repeat, don't--take this out on patients and cooperative staff members, or Press Ganey scores and staff morale will reflect their all-too-righteous indignation.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

This seems absolutely silly. Will the just remove heplocks or will they remove all unlabeled IVs, even the ones with a critical gtt. running (such as dilt)? If the latter is the case, they are exposing themselves to huge liability.

If I was a pt and they did this to me I could see them saying "policy is policy." When I tell them they I will blast them on my PG survey, management would probably say "OK, just make sure the blame the correct person...the nurse." [that is not my view, but the view of fictitious management]

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

I don't imagine this will go over well in the Peds population.

[Do-over, ASN, RN]

Are they then going to start a new line?

I would FLIP OUT if rounding management pulled a patent, non-symptomatic IV because it wasn't labeled, or even if it was too "old".

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

I agree that it might be an overreaction, but; labeling an IV site is simply part of the procedure. This should motivate everyone to label their IVs. It does waste time to chart search for an IV which may or may not be charted properly.

[Do-over, ASN, RN]

Not saying it shouldn't be addressed, but people just removing them on the spot - especially when it isn't their patient and they may or may not know what is going on? Can't believe that is appropriate.

[merlee]

I am a hard stick, a very hard stick, and if someone who wasn't my nurse was inspecting my IV and said it needed to come out because it wasn't labeled properly they better have a Dr's order to remove it.

A functioning IV is something to protect, not remove because of a policy.

This is an incredibly lame-brained, misdirected policy. If some incidents reports are written, that should suffice.

I agree about letting risk management know about this.

As I said many. many years ago, those that work Monday-Friday behind desks (referred to as M-F'ers) are often so insulated from reality that their policies sometimes don't make sense.

Who ever made up this one needs to be stuck unnecessarily a few times.

And if I was working and came across and unlabeled site, I would label it on the spot, and later discuss it with the appropriate person.

LET'S TRY TO BE KIND TO EACH OTHER!!!

[ScarryBear,RN]

I am in agreement with all above. Also what about reduction in infection rates? Initiating extra unnecessary sticks is just asking for trouble.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

No one would be ripping out mine, I can assure you of that! However, something has got to be done to get people to comply with dating. What is wrong with people that they cannot get this done? It takes, what? Half a second?

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

Just wait, it will only be a matter of time before some managment type comes by and sees no date on a central line dressing and decides to yank it.