July, 1999

Wisconsin Launches Campaign for Minimizing Pain During IV Insertion

In May 1999, the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) launched a campaign to heighten awareness of using either intradermal lidocaine or EMLA^TM cream prior to insertion of intravenous catheters. "Under policy, nurses at UWHC have always had the authority to use intradermal or subcutaneous lidocaine prior to insertion of intravenous catheters; however, many staff were either unaware of this standing policy or held misconceptions about the efficacy of the technique," says Deb Gordon, R. N., M. S., Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist. Patient satisfaction information, however, revealed that pain from routine peripheral intravenous insertions was a source of dissatisfaction, prompting a closer examination of the practice of (or lack of) preemptive analgesia for IV catheter starts. This led to the creative strategy of an "awareness campaign." First, EMLA^TM cream (a eutectic mixture of lidocaine 2.5% and prilocaine 2.5%) was added to the unit pharmacy stock items to facilitate easy access and use. Posters were then designed and distributed to patient care units. One is intended to "grab" attention with a picture of a dentist about to start drilling on a tooth, captioned, "What if the dentist didn't use novacaine?: Starting an IV doesn't have to hurt." The second poster offers practical information about the use of intradermal lidocaine and EMLA^TM cream. Along with the posters, the information is being conveyed to RNs in hospital wide in-services that had already been scheduled for a coincidental change in an IV catheter product. Response to the campaign has been positive thus far. "Targeting improvements in common painful procedures is an important strategy to infiltrate the system with better pain management" says Gordon. Future satisfaction data should help reveal the success of this intervention.

Click here to open the pdf of the Starting an IV Doesn't Have to Hurt! poster.

Last Updated: April 18, 2000