Volume 6 Issue 2

Spark joy with vascular access

By now, many of you probably have heard about Marie Kondo’s KonMari method and her books Spark joy and The life-changing magic of tidying. I haven’t yet read these books (by the look of my desk, I probably need to!), but the catchy titles made me ponder how we could create some life-changing magic and spark joy in the vascular access world. We hear so many times about what goes wrong in our hospitals. I thought it would be fun to imagine a perfect world of vascular access, one that would spark joy.

What would spark joy in the patient who is so tired of needlesticks and rarely being asked if they have a best vein?

What would spark joy in the nurse who’s tried a couple of times to get the vein but hasn’t managed to do it and the patient is wincing and the buzzers are going off and there are still a million things to do in the next 3 hours before the shift ends, presuming he/she will leave on time...?

What would spark joy in the hospital – infection prevention service, the quality and safety committee, the billing department, and the hospital executive committee?

We all want to do a good job and achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients, our hospitals and ourselves. Yet many clinicians don’t have time to sift through research papers and guidelines to identify best practice. That’s why I created the I-DECIDED device assessment and decision tool.^1,2 And, today, I share with you this colourful infographic, Spark Joy with Vascular Access, to share my vision for optimal outcomes and best practice. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. And if you like it, please share. Let’s all aim to add a spark of joy to vascular access!

Gillian Ray-Barruel
Deputy Editor

Author(s)

Gillian Ray-Barruel
Deputy Editor