National Guidelines for Intravenous Therapy

Intravenous therapy can cause serious infections when done incorrectly, so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established national guidelines which health care providers must follow when administering intravenous therapy to a patient. The guidelines are mandatory for all health care providers, regardless of whether they work in a hospital, a home or any other setting.

Guidelines

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells health care providers to chose the safest spot possible when making intravenous insertions. Arms and hands have a lower risk of becoming infected during intravenous therapy than legs and feet do. The back of your hand is generally the safest spot to receive intravenous therapy. Areas with thinner skin are also generally safer than areas with thick skin. Your doctor or nurse may not always chose a location based on these guidelines, because of other considerations that your particular intravenous therapy raises. If you are concerned about the location of an insertion, ask your doctor to explain the decision.

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also stresses the importance of hand hygiene for person administering your intravenous therapy. Before any intravenous insertion or maintenance, your doctor or nurse must clean her hands using either an alcohol-based product or an antibacterial soap. In addition, they are recommended to wear gloves during the procedure. For some intravenous therapy, a mask and sterile gown may also be worn, but these are not necessary for all insertions or maintenance.

  Catheters used in intravenous therapy should be made of Teflon or polyurethane. These materials are associated with the fewest number of complications. Steel needles are also sometimes used. Although steel needles do not cause more infections, they can hurt the tissue around the injection site.

  If you have an intravenous catheter for an extended time without a doctor or nurse always present, you should occasionally check the site of the insertion to make sure there has been no change to the appearance. If you do notice a change, or feel any discomfort, let a doctor or nurse know immediately so that they can check to see if any complications are occurring. In addition to your own self-checks, a doctor or nurse will periodically check the site for changes.

  In addition to these mandatory rules for intravenous therapy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggests continuing education for health care professionals involved with intravenous injections and maintenance. Education and standardization of intravenous therapy leads to decreases in the number of infections and other complications that arise.