TY - JOUR T1 - Application of heat prior to intravenous catheter insertion to improve comfort and safety for patients requires further research JF - Evidence Based Nursing JO - Evid Based Nurs SP - 15 LP - 15 DO - 10.1136/eb-2016-102451 VL - 20 IS - 1 AU - Melissa Robinson-Reilly Y1 - 2017/01/01 UR - http://ebn.bmj.com/content/20/1/15.abstract N2 - Commentary on: Biyik Bayram S, Caliskan N. Effects of local heat application before intravenous catheter insertion in chemotherapy patients. J Clin Nurs 2016;25:1740–7.OpenUrlImproving comfort and safety for patients by simply applying heat prior to cannulation warrants practice consideration.The application of heat prior to cannulation/catheterisation is not a new technique, though this research has provided evidence to promote change and review of current practices.Intravenous (IV) catheter insertion is performed on ∼80% of patients who present to hospital and is the commonest route of administering chemotherapy. Improving the experience for patients through the application of heat to the arm prior to catheterisation normally increases the visibility of the vein due to venous distension. In this Turkish study by Bayam and Caliskan, using application of heat prior to IV insertion was examined to … ER -