Routine IV Site Replacement Analysis

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Patients that are admitted to the hospital frequently require intravenous (IV) fluids. Many hospital policies require IV sites to be changed every 72-96 hours to reduce the risk of complications caused by the IV catheter. There is increasing evidence supporting that routine IV site replacement is ineffective (Rickard, McCann, Munnings, & McGrail, 2010, p. 2). Working in the labor and delivery department, we rarely have patients that require an IV site for more than 24-48 hours. However, we occasionally have newborns that require IV fluids and antibiotics for up to ten days. After speaking with the unit director and the physicians on our unit, we now leave the IV site until there is indication that the site needs to be changed. If we have