Improving patient safety

Vascular access specialists are at the forefront of modern healthcare, providing expert vascular access device selection, insertion and maintenance. Without intravenous (IV) therapy, hospitals would be unable to provide desperately needed care for our communities. This has always been true, but today, globally, we are witnessing this even more acutely during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen collaboration and mutual support within teams, as well as life-saving innovations geared towards protecting both patients and staff.

As I write this, my region and my country have not yet seen the peak of cases and the surge seems to grow ever higher. I am hopeful that, by the time this issue is published, the whole world will be well on its way to recovery. Through the fear, the confusion, the doubt and the mistrust there have also been tremendous displays of bravery and selflessness, as well as a spreading determination to come together by stepping out of our silos. And many of us have witnessed our communities embrace us with generous donations of precious personal protective equipment (PPE)— sometimes handsewn, meals and other acts of kindness as we arrive or depart our hospitals.