Vascular Access Assessment and Device Selection (VAADS) Education
Faculty Mentor(s)
Amy Kyes MSN, RN, CRNI1 and Barbara Vincensi, PhD, RN, FNP2 (1Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital and 2Hope College Department of Nursing)
Document Type
Poster
Event Date
4-11-2014
Abstract
Promoting the application of the Infusion Nursing Society’s (INS) evidence-based practice standards into clinical practice through education transforms a reactive approach into a proactive approach to vascular access assessment. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of staff nurses regarding appropriate vascular access, pre- and post-education implementation of the Vascular Access Assessment and Device Selection (VAADS) scoring tool, which incorporates INS standards and aims for improved patient outcomes and decreased hospital costs. The study is framed around Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Model, which explains change in stages of “unfreezing,” “change,” and “refreezing.” The education aims to make a change in nursing knowledge and practice. The study design is non-experimental and descriptive. A sample of 34 nurses on the Medical-Surgical floor of a 57-bed community hospital in West Michigan received the online education and questionnaire surveys. Scores of pre- and post-tests and other survey questions were analyzed using dependent t-tests, descriptive statistics, and ANOVA tests with IBM SPSS Statistics 19.0. A significant increase was found from the pre-test mean of 9.90/11 to the post-test mean of 10.79/11 (p =.000). Nurses’ educational degree had significant effect on pre-test scores (p =.021) but not on post-test scores (p =.086). Education was significantly effective in increasing knowledge of staff nurses regarding appropriate vascular access and device selection using INS standards. Post-test scores were not affected by previous education level, further supporting education on the use of the VAADS alone as effective in increasing knowledge. Limitations include a small sample size and single setting which restricts generalization of results, and short length of tests and small range of scores. The main implication for this research is support for further education to improve evidence-based nursing practice.
Recommended Citation
A recommended citation will become available once a downloadable file has been added to this entry.
