Most adults who have experienced a cannula insertion will admit it can be an anxiety inducing procedure. And any parent will tell you that witnessing their child in distress while a nurse is having difficulty finding their tiny veins is beyond heartbreaking. Especially when parents often need to assist by physically holding their child still and can’t do anything to alleviate their fear and discomfort.  

So, you can imagine our joy when a year ago we successfully raised enough money during our 2020 Christmas Appeal to fully-fund the purchase of an Accuvein vein finder for the Werribee Mercy Hospital Paediatrics Ward! 

This amazing device uses vein visualisation technology to help healthcare professionals locate and assess appropriate veins for safe and efficient IV access. It’s easy and quick to use and has a 98% first stick success rate. Needless to say, having access to the Accuvein has been an enormous improvement to the patient care experience for babies and children at the Werribee Mercy Hospital. 

We hope caregivers of children in the Wyndham area find comfort in knowing this important piece of medical equipment is available should their child ever be in the unfortunate situation of needing IV access. 

We have received several heart-warming testimonials from the healthcare staff at Werribee Mercy Hospital who have used the Accuvein vein finder. We are grateful to everyone who helped us by donating to this important cause and we wanted to share the power your positive impact has made to our community: 

“A recent case involved a 6-year-old girl with difficult veins to see and palpate, the venoscope (Accuvein) allowed direct visualisation of the veins aiding with successful cannulation. Having this equipment available helps with successful cannulation attempts and thus reduces distress for our paediatric patients and their families.” – Ross Goodson, Paediatric Registrar  

“The Accuvein has been a great piece of equipment on the paediatric ward at Werribee Mercy Hospital. A teenager who was needle phobic required a new intravenous cannula, the medical team had tried multiple times and were about to phone the consultant to make an attempt. A trained nursing staff member suggested the Accuvein and made an attempt herself. She was successful first go with the help of the Accuvein. This helped reduce the patient’s anxiety with cannula insertion and the family were very thankful.” – Emily McConnell, Paediatric Associate Nurse Unit Manager  

“The Accuvein has been an invaluable tool in being able to insert cannulas for our patients. It has also assisted me with training other staff on insertion of cannulas, through a guided approach. This tool has meant that our cannula insertions are much faster and less traumatic for our paediatric patients. We cannot be more thankful.” Gina Moschos, Acting Nurse Unit Manager, Paediatric Ward  

Thank you again to everyone that supported our 2020 Christmas Appeal to purchase the Accuvein. Together we truly do make a positive impact and no act of kindness is ever too small.  If you would like to find out how you can help the Werribee Hospital Foundation support patient care in the City of Wyndham reach out to hello@whf.org.au or call 03 8714-6498.