The Nursing profession in India has been facing some headwinds of late. We have covered this issue in our interview with Col Binu Sharma, VP Nursing Services at Columbia Asia.

Records sho wthat nine out of ten patients admitted in hospitals receive infusion therapy – medicines administered through needles and IV – during the course of their stay for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. Improper infusion practices may lead to complications, causing an increase in mortality, morbidity, duration of hospital stay and healthcare costs.

The importance of infusion training for nurses was discussed at the two-day 6th National conference of Infusion Nurses Society (INS), which was organized at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

The conference saw the launch of online courses on Infusion therapy for nurses. Utilizing the reach and ease of digital platform, the course will enable INS members to access the various infusion therapy modules and speaker presentations from previous conferences through INS website http://www.insindia.org./. The first course would be on the Peripheral IV Cannulation.

“Infusion Therapy is a comprehensive method of quality care to all patients. Online courses will educate the nurses in the scientific method of delivering and maintaining infusion with the aim of cure and prevention of Infection,” says Clare D’Mello, Assistant Nursing Superintendent, Saifee Hospital.

In a complex healthcare environment, with varied patient needs, ensuring the quality of infusion calls for best nursing practices, explains Havovi Fouzdar, GM-Nursing, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, “To ensure a patient-centered plan of care, a nurse strives to meet the infusion needs of their patients. In doing so, they need to strictly adhere to the best practices and the comprehensive INS standards help the infusion nurses to provide excellent infusion care across all practice settings.”

Along with online infusion therapy courses for the nurses, INS India is now launching an online course for its 3000 members on peripheral IV cannulation.

In the past, INS India launched an android app for the nurses and standards to help healthcare professionals, institute gold standard and evidence based protocols into patient care practices, by minimizing medication errors, treatment related complications and healthcare associated infections. The revised standards will be instrumental in ensuring safety for patients and healthcare professionals.

“The aim of these initiatives is to engage healthcare professionals to intensify the best safety and quality practices in infusion management across the country. With such online courses and Android apps, INS India wants to empower nurses with digital tools in infusion standards for better patient care,” says Col Binu Sharma, President, INS India.

Every year, close to 98,000 patients are affected by unsafe nursing practices in India.