Education and Training in Intravenous Cannulation and Administration of Contrast Media in Radiography: A literature review

Abstract

The scope of practice for radiographers is changing and expanding globally. In the last three decades, radiographers have taken up new roles due to changing healthcare needs, increasing demand for medical imaging services, and bridging the gap created by the shortage of radiologists. To meet the advancing needs of the radiography profession, professional bodies and higher education institutions (HEIs) should respond to this change and establish new training programmes to equip radiographers with knowledge and skills. One of these training programmes is an intravenous cannulation and contrast media (IVCM) injection course. The issue of extended roles is still contentious in most countries and therefore, literature that supports such practices should be collated, and a concise reasoning toward the same should presented. Therefore, this paper aims to review the literature on IVCM education and training in radiography. The literature review identified four components critical to the developing the IVCM course for radiographers: quality assurance, theory, practical, and assessment.  The findings of this review can assist radiography stakeholders in various countries in planning for formal training and ongoing professional development and ensure that radiographers are impacted with the theoretical knowledge and develop competence before starting to perform this new role.