IV therapy in the community.

Community i.v. therapy services can be of significant benefit to both patients and the NHS.

Effective practice in community iv therapy.

The government has policies for care in the community, reducing acute admissions and length of hospital stays and greater patient choice (Department of Health (DH) 2002; DH, 2006) but the NHS has no overall strategy for community intravenous (IV) therapy. Despite this, community IV therapy is expanding to cover a wider range of medication and therapies. While this enables community nurses to extend their skills it can also present many challenges.

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT): is it safe for selected patients to self-administer at home? A retrospective analysis of a large cohort over 13 years.

Objectives: Provision of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is an evolving field, facilitating discharge from hospital for selected patients with serious infections. We report on a large OPAT cohort focusing on the practice of supervised parenteral antibiotic administration in the community by patients and relatives, which we collectively term 'self-administration'. To distinguish between healthcare professional OPAT and self-administered OPAT, we have coined the terms H-OPAT and S-OPAT, respectively.

Audit of peripheral venous cannulae by members of an i.v. therapy forum.

This article describes a clinical audit of peripheral venous cannulae (PVC) undertaken by members of a national intravenous therapy forum. PVC care was reviewed using the RCN 'Standards for Infusion Therapy' and the Department of Healh's 'Winning Ways' report, action area 2 (DH, 2003; RCN, 2003) to define best practice. Data were collected by members of the forum and submitted for analysis by the members' coordinator.

Strategies to reduce the risk of needle and sharps injuries.

Needle or sharps injuries are common, underreported and often preventable (Department of Health, 2004). This article describes when, how and why these injuries occur and who is at risk. It provides an overview of recent legislation and outlines strategies to minimise risks.

Vascular access: indications and implications for patient care.

This overview of the vascular access devices available for adult patients explains how careful selection and management of the device can minimise the complications associated with infusion therapy.

Needlestick and sharps injuries: avoiding the risk in clinical practice.

What is the true incidence of needlestick and sharps injuries among health-care professionals in the UK and what is the real cost of such injuries? This article identifies the obvious and not-so-obvious risks to staff in community and hospital settings and examines how such risks can be minimised, drawing on guidance from NICE and the RCN.