Permalink :  http://hdl.handle.net/2115/39066

JaLCDOI :  10.14943/38115

KEYWORDS : intravenous infusion; nurse; expert; safety; institutional approach; 静脈注射; 看護師; エキスパート; 安全; 組織的取組み

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan adopted in 2002 a new legal interpretation that stated that nurses were able to practice intravenous infusions under physicians' orders. The Hokkaido University Hospital is an advanced treatment facility that employs state-of-the-art medical technology in its role as the healthcare hub in Hokkaido. There is a high likelihood that patients receiving cancer therapy at this hospital will require high-risk drugs administered by intravenous infusions. However, nurses' infusion safety practices were found to be less than optimal because approximately 30% of nurses had fewer than three years of experience. We therefore aimed to establish an educational system whereby nurses could acquire advanced knowledge and skills pertaining to safe intravenous infusions. Our hospital founded a special committee that reviewed infusions performed by nurses. The committee created facility-wide criteria that have promoted a concrete division of roles among health care professions. A session run by expert nurses resulted in the establishment of a unique system to educate nurses about intravenous infusions. All Nurses began performing the infusions in 2008. This study describes the process underlying the approach of the institution and the committee as well as the expert nurse session that combined special lectures, group work, and unit learning. We also describe possible limitations of the institutional approach and the educational system.

FULL TEXT :  PDF