How to insert a peripheral cannula
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice Previous     Next

How to insert a peripheral cannula

Sally Jane Shaw Clinical skills trainer, VIP Venepuncture and Cannulation Training, Warwickshire, England

Rationale and key points

This article aims to assist practitioners to undertake the safe and effective insertion of a peripheral cannula. It provides information on best practice related to peripheral cannulation with an open-ported safety cannula. The same principles for practice apply to non-ported open safety cannulae.

Peripheral cannulation enables venous access, the administration of intravenous medication, infusion therapy and total parenteral nutrition. It also enables blood samples to be obtained.

Peripheral cannulation is a common procedure that requires high standards of care and management to optimise patient outcomes.

Reflective activity

‘How to’ articles can help update your practice and ensure it remains evidence-based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

How you think this article has changed your practice when performing peripheral cannulation.

How you could use this resource to assist with supporting colleagues.

Nursing Standard. 31, 12, 42-47. doi: 10.7748/ns.2016.e10570

Correspondence

sally.shaw88@yahoo.co.uk

Peer review

This article is subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 18 May 2016

Accepted: 09 August 2016

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more