In a busy and sometimes understaffed dialysis clinic, needle fear can be a frustrating challenge. Patients who need extra time and care for cannulation disrupt the schedule for all subsequent patients assigned to that chair—which can have a domino effect on other chairs.
Objectives
- Describe five strategies to support patients who dislike needles.
- Explain four stategies to reduce needle pain.
- Identify three stategies to address blood-injection-injury phobia.
Accreditation for this course expires October 31, 2026.
Learners must complete the entire activity, receive a score of at least 80% on the post-test, and complete the course evaluation to be awarded contact hours. Learners can print or save their completion certificates and should keep them for a minimimum of 4 years. It is the responsibility of the learner to determine if these CE contact hours will be accepted by a particular licensing organization.
- Nurse Planner – Steffanie Gissal, BSN, RN
- Authors – Jennifer Ravert, RN and Dori Schatell, MS
This class is part of our Self-guided Program to Advance Renal Knowledge (SPARK) series of online CE learning + professional mentoring education classes for nurses and dialysis technicians. Our goals are to help dialysis nurses and technicians stay up-to-date with their training and certifications—and to attract new interest in nephrology as a career. This activity was funded, in part, by an unrestricted educational grant from Fresenius Medical Care.
