When it comes to taking care of patients, the members of the northeastern Ontario chapter of the Canadian Vascular Access Association are quite picky about standards. And they’ve earned national recognition for their efforts.
The chapter has 160 members from more than a dozen communities across northeastern Ontario.
They perform a number of vascular access/infusion therapy procedures such as dialysis, chemotherapy and the insertion of various types of intravenous (IV) lines.
For its commitment to patient quality and safety and innovative approaches to professional development, the Northeastern Ontario chapter has been chosen as Chapter of the Year by the National Canadian Vascular Access Association.
In particular, the NEO CVAA was lauded for its use of teleconferencing technology through the Ontario Telemedicine Network to hold twice-yearly professional workshops. It is the only CVAA chapter in Canada to use this method.
The NEO CVAA was also commended for producing an e-newsletter that informs members of best practices in vascular access/infusion therapy, and how they can apply for both national certification and grants to attend the annual CVAA conference and other professional development opportunities.
“We’re very excited to receive this award, and we’ve worked very hard to share best practices with our members,” said Angele Caporicci, chapter president and a Timmins-based Labour Relations Officer with the Ontario Nurses Association, in a press release.
“Teleconferencing and the e-newsletter allow us to share evidence-based expertise with our members who may otherwise not have easy access to that information. When they take that learning back into front-line care, it means patients are getting the best care.”
Vascular access procedures are among the most common, but necessary, in health care settings. More than 90 per cent of hospitalized and community care patients receive some form of infusion therapy.
Improperly inserted, poorly monitored and incorrectly maintained IV lines can lead to adverse effects for patients such as infections, irregular dosages of medications or improper functionality of device, and in some cases cause discomfort from repeated attempts to insert or re-insert IV lines.
National CVAA provides certification of vascular health care professionals, to ensure members adhere to best practices. Made up of volunteers, the NEO CVAA advocates for education of health care professionals across the North East who are involved in vascular/infusion therapy.
The NEO CVAA will be holding its annual Learning Event Sept. 26 at the Holiday Inn, Sudbury. This year’s theme is “Touch, Task, and Technique.” For more information, e-mail [email protected].
