Jackie Nicholson

Welcoming global perspectives.

2 01 6 M A H ea lth ca re L td I have just returned from the 4th World Congress on Vascular Access (WoCoVA) in Lisbon, Portugal, where over 900 delegates from over 50 countries gathered over 3 days. The UK was well-represented both by delegates and speakers, and on the last day NIVAS (UK National Infusion and Vascular Access Society) hosted a final session with board members Andrew Bodenham and Tim Jackson giving presentations on two very different but related topics. Andrew Bodenham presented the new consensus guidelines from the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) on safe vascular access (Bodenham et al, 2016). While these guidelines are focused on anaesthetic practice, they provide good evidence and consensus for all vascular access practice, particularly for inpatients. The guidelines highlight the continuing morbidity and mortality associated with vascular access, and the availability of new technology and evidence. They are very valuable, both to support current practices and to lobby for improvements. I have had many conversations with people who struggle to persuade their organisation that nurseled vascular access services would benefit both patients and the hospital. So it is always good to have standards and guidelines to support business cases and, in this document, there is the statement:

Learning from failure to improve practice

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