Vascular Access

Published: June 2021
Available in English, French, Spanish
Clinical

Purpose and scope

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide nurses (nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses and nursing students) and other members of the interprofessional team with evidence-based recommendations and resources related to the insertion, assessment…

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide nurses (nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses and nursing students) and other members of the interprofessional team with evidence-based recommendations and resources related to the insertion, assessment and maintenance of vascular access devices (VADs) in the infant (0–1 year), pediatric (1–18 years) and adult populations (18 years and older). 

This guideline is applicable to all practice settings where care is provided for persons with VADs such as, but not limited to:

  • primary care
  • rehabilitation
  • long-term care
  • acute care, and 
  • community care.

Caution note: As with all procedures, health providers must be aware of scope of practice and follow regulatory body guidelines. Health providers should only be caring for or inserting VADs for which they have the necessary knowledge, skill and judgement. Health providers should also follow organizational policies and procedures related to VAD insertion and maintenance. This BPG addresses recommendations requiring advanced skill.

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Guideline overview

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Reference

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO). Vascular access. 2nd ed. Toronto (ON): RNAO; 2021.

Recommendations

Do you want to learn about and implement the most- up-to-date evidence-based recommendations on this topic with your colleagues? Download and share the full best practice guideline (BPG), Vascular Access.
See below for a snapshot of the recommendations from this BPG. We strongly suggest you review the full BPG before implementing the recommendations and good practice statements. The BPG also includes further resources to support implementation and evaluation.  

Disclaimer: These guidelines are not binding for nurses, other health providers or the organizations that employ them. The use of these guidelines should be flexible and based on individual needs and local circumstances. They constitute neither a liability nor discharge from liability. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents at the time of publication, neither the authors nor the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) gives any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them or accepts any liability with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omission in the contents of this work.

Revision status

Current edition published: June 2021

This BPG replaces two of RNAO's BPGs Care and Maintenance to Reduce Vascular Access Complications (2005) and Assessment and Device Selection for Vascular Access (2004).

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