Learn how to teach patients (or their care partners) how to cannulate, whether they dialyze in-center or they choose to do home HD. This course discusses self-cannulation techniques, steps to teach successful buttonhole cannulation and how to teach your patients how to troubleshoot.
Objectives
- Explain how patients can benefit from learning to self-cannulate.
- Identify indications for the Buttonhole technique vs. Rope ladder.
- Describe the role(s) of Cushion Cannulation, Tandem Hand Cannulation, and Touch Cannulation techniques play in easing patient transition from self-cannulation with sharp needles to buttonholes.
- List symptoms that should prompt patients to immediately stop treatment and call 911.  Â
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.
