INVIVA® | Schedule Your Injection and Infusion Treatment - Inviva
How to Prepare For Your Appointment and What to Expect
New to infusion therapy or injection treatments? Here’s what you need to know.
How to Prepare For Your Appointment and What to Expect
New to infusion therapy or injection treatments? Here’s what you need to know.
A Patient Guide to Infusion and Injection Treatments
At INVIVA clinics across Canada, patients of all ages receive infusion or injection treatments daily. The first visit for a newly diagnosed patient can be a bit overwhelming, and that's why we've created a step-by-step Patient Guide and Patient Checklist—to provide you with a clear understanding of what to expect and how to prepare for your treatment.
A Patient Guide to Infusion and Injection Treatments
At INVIVA clinics across Canada, patients of all ages receive infusion or injection treatments daily. The first visit for a newly diagnosed patient can be a bit overwhelming, and that's why we've created a step-by-step Patient Guide and Patient Checklist—to provide you with a clear understanding of what to expect and how to prepare for your treatment.
2 to 5 days before your appointment, you can expect a friendly reminder from us.
We may ask some screening questions, as certain health considerations (active infections or changes in your overall medical condition, for example) can impact your scheduled treatment. We also encourage you to contact your Patient Care Coordinator to inform them of changes in your medical condition.
If you get your medication from your local pharmacy, please reach out to your pharmacist at least 5 business days before your appointment to ensure your medication is available.
If you use a McKesson pharmacy or an approved partner pharmacy, your medication will be shipped directly to our INVIVA clinic for you.
Make sure to bring a list of your current medications, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements, herbs, and weight loss products.
Be sure to dress in layered, loose-fitting clothes and wear comfortable shoes. We also suggest bringing a comfy blanket from home to stay warm.
For patients 16+ years old, please consider asking someone to pick you up from your appointment and help you get home safely as your ability to drive may be impaired depending on your treatment.
An infusion treatment may take from 2 to 6 hours. Be sure to bring something to keep you busy, such as reading materials, devices with chargers, earphones, crossword puzzles, and so on. We also recommend bringing your water bottle and favorite snacks from home.
Drink plenty of water the day before and the day of your treatment. Always follow your physician’s order for fluid restrictions
Show up at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment. You will be greeted by the INVIVA nurse who will be caring for you.
The length of your treatment depends on your medication. Some infusions are only 30 minutes long, others may take between 1 to 4 hours or more. Your Patient Care Coordinator will let you know the expected duration of your treatment. During your treatment, you will be sitting in a comfortable chair and can lie back, go to sleep, read or catch up on your favorite series.
Your nurse will monitor you closely from start to finish. Please make sure you tell your nurse of any changes in how you feel during the infusion. If an infusion reaction occurs, your nurse may stop or slow the rate of your infusion.
Your nurse will take your vital signs (temperature, blood pressure, pulse, etc.) and will ask questions about your overall health, including infections and allergies.
If you have any questions about your treatment, don’t be shy to ask your nurse.
Depending on your treatment, you may be required to take a prerequisite test or medications beforehand to help manage or lessen the risks for reactions during treatment, like allergic reactions or nausea.
Consult the Patient Guide for more information on the infusion/injection experience.
Your nurse will monitor you for up to 1 hour after your infusion for any reactions or side effects. Should you have any signs or symptoms up to 24 hours after your treatment, please contact your physician right away or go to your nearest emergency room.
Our Policies
We understand that delays can occur on your way to your treatment. Our late policy allows for a 20-minute window after your scheduled appointment time. Depending on the volume of patients that day, we may need to reschedule your appointment to a later time or date.
Should you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment due to illness or a personal emergency, please call us as soon as possible, at least 24 hours in advance.
For privacy and confidentiality reasons, visitors are allowed to take you into your appointment but cannot stay for the entire duration of your treatment. Except in the case of special circumstances or pediatric patients under 18, we stay firm in this policy.