Access Device Guidelines

More than forty years ago, healthcare professionals were limited to administering IV drugs through short-term peripheral or subclavian access devices. The practice of administering drugs to other areas of the body such as the epidural or peritoneal spaces existed in theory only. Flash forward forty years, and you’ll see how the healthcare landscape has changed. Today, you have at your disposal, a variety of both short-term and long-term access devices with new devices and improvements being continuously added to the mix. Healthcare professionals can now develop complex plans of treatment, and the quality of life and safety of patients has also improved. Although procedures for managing both the routine care and the complications that can arise in patients are common for most access devices, maintaining extensive knowledge on each device can be a challenge.

The latest edition of Access Device Guidelines: Recommendations for Nursing Practice and Education will help you develop the expertise you need in this climate of perpetual change. For this third edition, an extensive literature search was conducted for each type of access device available. You’ll also explore the latest technologies, management procedures, and the controversies that still exist in the field. With little evidence-based knowledge to guide nursing practice in the use of access devices, these guidelines have instead focused information culled from the available literature on such procedures as strict hand washing, strict aseptic technique, and a consistent approach to maintenance care.

Developed to provide recommendations for application of access device technology within nursing practice, these guidelines provide the foundation for evidence-based practice and a means to evaluate your own procedures and practices.