Paper
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
This presentation is part of :
PostersCappagh Nurses Managing Continuous Epidural Infusions at Ward Level
Finola Bell, RGN, RGM, ONC, BNS, MSC, Nursing Administration, Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin, Ireland and Rosemary Masterson, RGN, ONC, BNS, RNT, MSc, School of Nursing, Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Epidural analgesia is the administration of local anaesthetic agents and / or analgesics into the epidural space by continuous or intermittent infusion and is used in Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin, to control post-operative pain following arthroplasty procedures. An Bord Altranais suggested in their Guide to nurses and midwives on the administration of medical preparations that: ‘The nurse shall have theoretical instruction and supervised clinical practice before undertaking the maintenance of continuous or intermittent epidural analgesic infusions. This guideline from the Irish Nursing Board prompted: the development of an epidural nursing policy, the development and delivery of an epidural education programme, the development of new nursing documentation that reflected the standards of care and practice underpinning the nursing management of patients receiving continuous epidural analgesia. As a result the role of the nurse with regard to continuous epidural management was significiently expanded. The poster presentation will: address the reasons for changing practice, detail the project plan and the process of practice change implementation. It will include the clinical assessment guidelines and the new nursing documentation. Finally, the achievements following the initiative will be outlined.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 21, 2004