Developing an interactive intravenous education and training program.

Abstract

Intravenous therapy knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nurses within a healthcare organization vary greatly. Primary nursing education programs, responsibility for i.v. therapy in previous jobs, patient populations, types of therapies provided, and clinical setting are just a few of the factors contributing to these variations. However, administrators usually expect all nurses to function in all areas of clinical practice. The gap between actual and expected knowledge and skills can be extremely wide, especially in i.v. therapy. Interactive multimedia i.v. education products provide a way to narrow that gap in a quick and cost-effective manner when appropriate planning processes are used to incorporate them into an educational program.