Development, implementation, and evaluation of a vascular access management program

Purpose: Intravenous (IV) cannulation is a standard procedure associated with a high failure rate. To improve IV access techniques, this quality improvement project implemented a Vascular Access Management Program including the modified Adult Difficult IntraVenous Access tool (A-DIVA) and ultrasound to guide IV placement with the overall goal to improve IV access success.Methods: The program included didactic and simulation training followed by implementation and evaluation. Evaluation included an anonymous Likert-type survey evaluating the usefulness of the tool, impact on productivity, the effectiveness of ultrasound, and the perceived sustainability of the program. Outcomes were analyzed and reported as the mean and standard deviation. Results: Key findings of this project include the highly favorable feedback regarding the simplicity and efficiency of the modified A-DIVA tool and the usefulness it provided in identifying high-risk patients. Additionally, this project shed light on the importance of thorough education to enable competency in the use of advanced technologies such as ultrasound to guide IV access. Conclusion: Overall, this project successfully developed, implemented, and evaluated the vascular access management program and outcomes support a change in practice to include these techniques to ultimately improve patient care.D.N.P.Includes bibliographical reference