Special Populations and Advanced Skills

This unit focuses on adapting IV therapy techniques for infants, children, elderly patients, and patients receiving care at home while emphasizing safety, troubleshooting, and patient-centered care. Learners consolidate clinical skills and decision-making through evidence-based protocols, simulation practice, and creation of homecare plans to ensure continuity and quality of IV therapy.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze physiological, anatomical, and developmental differences in pediatric and geriatric patients to modify IV site selection, catheter size, insertion technique, and infusion parameters to reduce complications.
• Apply evidence-based infection control, medication administration, and device selection practices to create individualized IV therapy plans for pediatric, elderly, and homebound patients.
• Demonstrate proficient venous access and troubleshooting skills by performing supervised simulated IV starts and using at least five specified ‘tricks of the trade,’ validated by a competency checklist.
• Evaluate home infusion environments and develop comprehensive discharge/homecare plans that include equipment needs, caregiver education, emergency procedures, and accurate documentation to ensure safe continuity of care.