Overview
Line Identification Starts at the Patient
An intravenous setup may contain a primary bag, a secondary infusion, a pump or syringe, an extension, and several injection ports.
An intravenous setup may contain a primary bag, a secondary infusion, a pump or syringe, an extension, and several injection ports. At the bedside, those routes may converge and cross before reaching the patient. A label near the bag does not prove which solution is entering the patient. The patient-end label is a visual checkpoint; tracing the tubing is the verification. Before each medication administration, follow every active line from the patient backward to its connection and then to the correct bag, pump, or syringe. Repeat the trace whenever tubing or a line setup is changed. This prevents a medication from being selected by guesswork, tubing position, or an outdated label.