Mark your calendars!
Welcome to the October issue of Vascular Access!
As I write this, I’m getting ready to head off to the Association of Vascular Access Annual Scientific Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, to present the preliminary results of my postdoctoral research, an interrupted time-series evaluation of an IV assessment and decision tool called I-DECIDED. (More to come on that!)
Each September, the AVA Foundation hosts an extraordinarily dynamic and extremely well-run, jam-packed, four-day meeting for VA clinicians and researchers from across the globe. Many AVAS members will be there too, presenting their own research or soaking up the electrifying buzz of an international VA community.
For me, the best part about attending conferences is the opportunity to meet the researchers and thought leaders that I’m following on social media and learn about the fascinating research and innovations in our field. I’m always amazed how much is happening. But you don’t have to jet off overseas to connect with the experts …
The next AVAS Scientific Meeting will take place in beautiful Sydney, 12–14 May 2019. The conference theme is Walk the line, so keep your eyes wide open all the time and start thinking about ideas for oral abstracts and poster submissions!
- Have you recently undertaken some VA quality activities or research in your unit or hospital?
- Have you created or participated in some innovative educational activities?
- Do you have an interesting idea or experience to share with VA colleagues?
And finally, this edition of Vascular Access features two articles reprinted with permission from the Journal of Vascular Access.
The first article, ‘Insertion site assessment of peripherally inserted central catheters: Inter-observer agreement between nurses and inpatients’, by Webster et al., compared the inter-rater reliability of a PICC site assessment tool between expert nurses and patients. The tool demonstrated high inter-observer agreement and could be a useful education and daily assessment resource for home care nurses and community patients with PICCs.
The next article promises to stimulate some interesting discussion. In the paper by van Loon et al., ‘Pain upon inserting a peripheral intravenous catheter: Size does not matter’, the researchers found that the size of the inserted PIVC had no significant relation to the primary outcome of pain. You’ll want to read this article to find out more.
We are currently seeking submissions for the next issue of Vascular Access. The closing date is 15 January 2019. We encourage clinicians and researchers in Australia and abroad to consider writing for the journal or submitting some interactive media. Author guidelines can be found here. This is your vascular access society and we want to hear from you!
Gillian Ray-Barruel
Editor-in-Chief
Author(s)
Gillian Ray-Barruel, RN, PhD Editor-in-Chief