It happens often, the rules during war are different than the
rules before war. Before WW 2, IV
therapy was the domain of physicians.
Starting an IV meant piercing body tissue and this was considered to be
out of the nurse’s scope of practice.
Nurses who served in WW2 started IVs and administered IV
therapy out of necessity. They
returned home to find out that it was actually illegal for them to place IVs in
some states. To be fair, IV
therapy in the 1940’s looked much different than it does now. IV catheters were hard metal tubes that
had to be sterilized and sharpened after use. Veins were often accessed via cutdowns – something us oldie
goldies are familiar with.
It took until the 1970’s until IV therapy became the domain
of nursing. From the 1940’s to the
1970’s, the idea of nurses performing venipunctures and administering IV
therapy was debated by nurses, doctors, and hospital administrators.
In the end, I’m sure it was a financial decision – cheaper
to have the nurse who was already there start the IV than call in a
doctor.
So this week we are grateful for disposable, pre-sharpened
IV catheters and thank the nurses of WW 2 for leading the way!
No comments:
Post a Comment